# Dang ... how ' bout that bird flu



## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

You would not believe the devastation this is going to have in the area I live.
Depending on how bad it hits us , we are looking at easily 1,000 people out of work just on the egg farms them self. Never mind the feedmill , grain elevator, and truck drivers Then the domino effect kicks in . .As soon as I heard it was in MN I insisted to my 21 year old son to quit his job and find work in another field ASAP . Thankfully he listened to me for once


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Ya know, it just came to me. Since this flu is spread by the giant powered ventilators in the chicken housing blasting particles of the litter into the air and contaminating nearby chicken houses, this litterally (SIC) is a SHTF scenario!


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

Avian Influenza - Update
In Whitley County, Indiana, a strain of highly pathogenic H5N8 Avian Influenza (HPAI) was recently detected in a backyard poultry flock consisting of ducks, geese, turkeys and chickens. This strain differs from the H5N2 strain that has caused the loss of more than 30 million chickens turkeys and other birds in nearby states and is the first known occurrence along the Mississippi flyway.
Avian Influenza is very contagious among birds. Infected birds can spread it through saliva, nasal secretions and feces.
There are two categories of AI. Low pathogenic avian influenza A virus (LPAI) may cause mild illness or none at all and may go undetected. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (HPAI) causes severe diseases and high mortality rates in poultry. Both types of AI can spread quickly in poultry flocks.
Despite the danger of AI to poultry, the risk of human infection is currently low. To date, no human infections with the virus have been found in the U.S. though people have been infected with other strains of AI in other countries.
Recent articles about AI state that there is not a concern about AI with regard to food safety, but as always, you should take certain precautions when handling and preparing poultry, such as ensuring that it is cooked properly and completely, and washing your hands thoroughly before and after handling meat.
For people who keep poultry, to prevent the spread of the disease we recommend that you closely follow the biosecurity measures listed here and these additional precautions:
Avoid contact with dead or diseased birds or poultry. If you come in contact with dead fowl for any reason, wash your hands thoroughly and wash any clothing that may have come in contact with it.
Do not use poultry feed that was stored outdoors.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds both before and after handling poultry and poultry meat.
When cooking poultry, use a thermometer, and make sure the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 F.
Further Reading
U.S. Avian Influenza Backyard Flock Resources from Iowa State University.
Consumer Information on the U.S. Avian Influenza from Iowa State University.
USDA biosecurity for birds website.
Important Facts about Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) on our website.
Chickens Roosting on Fence
How Much Roost Space Do M


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

Awful.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Harry Chickpea said:


> Ya know, it just came to me. Since this flu is *spread by the giant powered ventilators* in the chicken housing blasting particles of the litter into the air and contaminating nearby chicken houses, this litterally (SIC) is a SHTF scenario!


It's spread through direct contact with feces and bodily fluids, not through the air



> Avian influenza viruses circulate among birds worldwide. Certain birds, particularly water birds, act as hosts for influenza viruses by carrying the virus in their intestines and shedding it.
> 
> Infected birds shed virus in saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Susceptible birds can become infected with avian influenza virus when they have contact with contaminated nasal, respiratory, or fecal material from infected birds. *Fecal-to-oral transmission is the most common mode of spread between birds*.





> Domesticated birds may become infected with avian influenza virus through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with virus.
> 
> People, vehicles, and other inanimate objects such as cages can be vectors for the spread of influenza virus from one farm to another. When this happens, avian influenza outbreaks can occur among poultry.


http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/spread.htm


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102606208 


One explanation is that the feathers of diseased, migrating wild birds are falling into ventilation systems or somehow getting into facilities. Even the virus' rapid arrival in North America suggests it may have been carried by wild birds. 
"What is interesting about this strain is that it took years for H5N1 to migrate from Asia to North America, and this particular strain has only taken about six months, so it is moving quite a bit faster." 
The types of farms hardest hit by outbreaks are also puzzling&#8212;most of them are high "biosecurity" facilities, where birds are kept in enclosed, strictly monitored environments. Workers at some of these farms are even required to shower before and after their shifts. 



Modes of transmission in the biosecure facilities have to boil down to feed (unlikely) water (unlikely) or air. If it is SHTF, then there is fecal oral contact.


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## wwubben (Oct 13, 2004)

Harry Chickpea said:


> http://www.cnbc.com/id/102606208
> 
> 
> One explanation is that the feathers of diseased, migrating wild birds are falling into ventilation systems or somehow getting into facilities. Even the virus' rapid arrival in North America suggests it may have been carried by wild birds.
> ...


I think all of the flies around these places has something to do with it.You can't keep a fly out of anyplace.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

When all the baby pigs got that devastating virus in the last couple of years wasn't there some talk about it being spread through the feed? I wonder if certain breeds of poultry are more susceptible...


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

light rain said:


> When all the baby pigs got that devastating virus in the last couple of years wasn't there some talk about it being spread through the feed? I wonder if certain breeds of poultry are more susceptible...


Yes, there was some speculation that PED virus was being spread by feed, but that was later ruled out. There was some rendered pork fat in some pig feed, but it is pre-cooked at very high temperatures, so no virus would survive. Still, to be doubly safe, pork fat was taken out of the feed formula.

In reference to pigs and bio-security. There was a case where a Vet went into a facility, went through the undress, shower, tyvek coveralls, treated PED virus pigs, switched out of the tyvek, showered, redressed and went home.
He then swabbed his nose and cultured the virus. So, even when you think you are bio-secure, in a highly contagious situation, like PED, it can get spread.

USDA has been monitoring this for a few years. Even when it was just Asia. They knew there was a risk due to the mingling of Asian birds and North American birds during northern summer nesting. Other than that we have separation by the ocean. USDA Scientist were concerned about an epidemic a few years ago, I heard lots of folks saying it was some sort of government scare tactic. Like the human pandemic they keep talking about.

But the truth is there are all sorts of disease outbreaks, some real nasty ones, but so far we have not had much hit this country.

The bird flu is mostly specific areas, as far as we know. Could be people with a few chickens suffer losses and not know why or not report it. Hard to hide 100,000 dead birds. 

Safe to haul and spread manure from non-infected flocks. Manure and birds from infected flocks are not being spread on fields.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Modes of transmission in the biosecure facilities have to boil down to feed (unlikely) water (unlikely) or air. If it is SHTF, then there is fecal oral contact.


Most of the chicken houses aren't really "biosecure" since many wild birds only need a 1" opening.



> Even the virus' rapid arrival in North America suggests it may have been carried by wild birds.


It's long been known it's spread by wild birds that act as carriers
That's far different than the idea it's being spread by the ventilation systems alone.

If that were the case, this wouldn't be true:


> The outbreaks are following an atypical path&#8212;random and unpredictable, Poulsen said. Outbreaks often spread in concentric circles, but these are jumping great distances, leaving farms in between untouched.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Harry Chickpea said:


> http://www.cnbc.com/id/102606208
> 
> 
> One explanation is that the feathers of diseased, migrating wild birds are falling into ventilation systems or somehow getting into facilities.


Sounds like a crackpot theory to me.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Nah, that is the crackpot thread in one of the other forums.

The original article, which I can't seem to find again, was that the biosecurity of a few of the multibarn facilities was determined to not have been breached by any breach of protocol, but the birds in those barns that hadn't had infected birds had _still_ been infected.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Harry Chickpea said:


> Nah, that is the crackpot thread in one of the other forums.
> 
> The original article, which I can't seem to find again, was that the biosecurity of a few of the multibarn facilities was determined to not have been breached by any breach of protocol, but the birds in those barns that hadn't had infected birds had _still_ been infected.


It seems like a stretch to say some stray feathers from some wild birds somehow got in and resulted in this whole mess...in multiple states yet. We aren't seeing mass die offs of wild birds in these areas.

I think it's more logical to look into this being purposely introduced into the chicken's environment. It would certainly explain a lot.


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## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

The thought around here is with the farmers running full throttle getting field work / crops in that the virus is attaching to dust particles and hitching a ride thrugh the vents. They started closing roads - mostly secondary but some main roads .I heard they were going to oil the road shoulders to help keep dust down but Im not sure if that happened yet. I use to manage one of these 2 million bird sites but got out about 10 yrs. ago . Bio is is very tight but as you see nothing is foolproof . 




haypoint said:


> t *PED virus*


One of the worse feelings is going home at night with 140 - 250 new litters of beautiful piglets and coming in the next morning to see* every single one* of them dead


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Woolieface said:


> It seems like a stretch to say some stray feathers from some wild birds somehow got in and resulted in this whole mess...in multiple states yet. We aren't seeing mass die offs of wild birds in these areas.
> 
> I think it's more logical to look into this being purposely introduced into the chicken's environment. It would certainly explain a lot.


Infected wild waterfowl tend to be asymptomatic carriers.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

It can also be carried by insects



> * Transmission *
> 
> Infected birds shed the virus in fecal and oculo-nasal discharges. Even though recovered flocks shed less virus than clinically ill flocks, recovered flocks will intermittently shed and should be considered infected for life.
> Waterfowl (wild and domesticated) are the primary natural reservoir of influenza viruses. Wild waterfowl usually do not show clinical signs, but they can excrete the virus for long periods of time. In addition, waterfowl can be infected with more than one type of influenza virus. Detection is further complicated by the fact that they often do not develop a detectable antibody response after exposure to the virus.
> ...


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiempo said:


> Infected wild waterfowl tend to be asymptomatic carriers.


What about songbirds, hawks, owls, robins, etc... Are all wild birds asymptomatic? They would come into contact with this in the wild before anything entirely confined would.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Woolieface said:


> What about songbirds, hawks, owls, robins, etc... Are all wild birds asymptomatic? They would come into contact with this in the wild before anything entirely confined would.


The clustering together of birds for migration, then them subsequently spreading out, would be a very easy way for the virus to spread. 

It isn't clear to me yet if some wild birds have survived the virus but can still continue to spread it, or if they are "typhoid Mary" type of carriers who just carry it but didn't get sick from it themselves.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Well, with so many avenues of infection is trying to kill every possible potential source almost impossible? 

We have the gypsy moth in our area. They have been spraying for years and every year we seem to have an increased amount. Now the emerald ash borer is a new target. New government programs have sprung up to eliminate that. If it is as successful as the moth program at least the bug is a prettier color. 

Back when antibiotics were first being developed there was a prevailing opinion that every bacteria was a negative creature and needed to be totally eradicated. We now know that while it saved human and animal life it did not arrive without it's own baggage. 

There are studies indicating that dust from one part of the world can be carried from one part of the world to another part with wind. Right now even a high school student is doing research with high altitude balloons seeing what type of organisms can survive in a high altitude environment. In that dust can be a multitude of bacteria, viruses, fungi and chemical ingredients to play havoc with our way of life and our pursuit of happiness, and who can stop the wind... 

I eat mostly chicken and pork for animal protein and my heart goes out to the people trying to support their families in a farm business. This disease is going to affect them badly and everyone that eats what they produce...


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

MO_cows said:


> The clustering together of birds for migration, then them subsequently spreading out, would be a very easy way for the virus to spread.
> 
> It isn't clear to me yet if some wild birds have survived the virus but can still continue to spread it, or if they are "typhoid Mary" type of carriers who just carry it but didn't get sick from it themselves.


I'm just wondering where all the dead critters are....bird or insect... I've never known environmental interest groups to be silent if there are any sudden drops in the population of whatever. I'd expect that to precede an issue with domestic, confined birds.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

light rain said:


> Well, with so many avenues of infection is trying to kill every possible potential source almost impossible?
> 
> We have the gypsy moth in our area. They have been spraying for years and every year we seem to have an increased amount. Now the emerald ash borer is a new target. New government programs have sprung up to eliminate that. If it is as successful as the moth program at least the bug is a prettier color.
> 
> ...


I have observed that. Big tornado outbreak in Oklahoma a few years ago, that same system came up and over us but luckily not as violent. There was a coating of red dirt on our cars the next morning that had come down with the rain.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

MO_cows said:


> I have observed that. Big tornado outbreak in Oklahoma a few years ago, that same system came up and over us but luckily not as violent. There was a coating of red dirt on our cars the next morning that had come down with the rain.


I remember a coating of dirt from the Mt St. Helens eruption in 1980 all over my parents' car after a rain. 

In England.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Iowa bird flu case increase to 52 in 14 counties
KCCI.com
May 14, 2015


DES MOINES, Iowa -Two more Iowa farms have tested positive for bird flu.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture says two northwest Iowa farms raising pullets -- young chickens being raised to eventually lay eggs -- likely have the virus.

No estimate of numbers was immediately released for a farm in Sioux County, the 12th case in that county and one in Plymouth County, the first case there.

Iowa has 52 bird flu cases in 14 counties. Nearly 25 million chickens and 970,000 turkeys will die.

South Dakota announced Thursday its first case, an egg farm with 1.3 million chickens in the eastern part of the state.

Nebraska officials confirmed their second case in a chicken flock and Minnesota reported two new cases.


Source:
http://www.kcci.com/news/iowa-bird-flu-case-increase-to-52-in-14-counties/33028204


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Nebraska governor declares state of emergency in bird flu outbreak
Reuters
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
May 14, 2015


CHICAGO -- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts issued a state of emergency declaration on Thursday, after federal agriculture officials confirmed a second farm site had tested positive for the rapidly spreading avian flu virus, according to state officials.

The declaration follows earlier, and similar, actions by governors in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, whose states have all been hard hit by the bird flu outbreak that had impacted more than 33 million birds across the United States.

Ricketts' move opens the door to release emergency funds and other aid to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and other state agencies that are trying to contain the bird flu outbreak, which has now affected more than 3.5 million egg-laying hens in Nebraska.

Meanwhile, South Dakota reported its first case of bird flu at an egg-laying chicken farm that holds 1.3 million of the birds.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/lo...cle_0b79efa2-5401-569c-900b-36e994e3c844.html


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

All poultry shows have been canceled at the Minnesota State Fair and county fairs across the state this year as authorities try to stop the spread of bird flu.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Ya big farms like this will be hurt that is a given.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

We are homesteading folk
Chances are chickens are on our land
The bird flu is a real issue
There is so much news that we miss much of important info

What do others think about a sticky in the poultry forum with state by state news of confirmed cases so as to track quickly and easy.


I envision 

Minnesota... April xx 14 commercial farms in zzz county.
Local private farms currently being tested.


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

MO_cows said:


> I have observed that. Big tornado outbreak in Oklahoma a few years ago, that same system came up and over us but luckily not as violent. There was a coating of red dirt on our cars the next morning that had come down with the rain.





Tiempo said:


> I remember a coating of dirt from the Mt St. Helens eruption in 1980 all over my parents' car after a rain.
> 
> In England.


A few years back one of the members of this forum who lives in the mountains in Colorado posted a picture of the snow-capped mountains there covered with red dust which made the snow look bright pink. The red dirt was from a plume of red dust from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, which had been picked up on the jet stream, crossed over the Pacific ocean and the west coast mountains and deposited onto the Colorado mountains.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in four additional flocks in Minnesota and Iowa. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low.

USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed HPAI H5N2 in the following counties and states:

 Renville County, Minnesota (May 19, 2015)
 625,500 chickens
 2nd detection in this county

 Kandiyohi County, Minnesota (May 19, 2015)
 42,600 turkeys
 33rd detection in this county

 Sac County, Iowa (May 19, 2015)
 28,400 turkeys
 5th detection in this county

 Sioux County, Iowa (May 19, 2015)
 Backyard flock (number pending)
 5th detection in this county


Full text:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/1055946


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Thank you hay.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Fourth Case of Bird Flu Found in Nebraska
By: Courtesy: Nebraska Department of Agriculture
NBC Nebraska
May 27, 2015


Lincoln, Neb. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed preliminary testing shows the presence of a fourth case of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in Nebraska. This case has been found at a farm in Knox County.

The Knox County case is a flock of 3 million hens. The farm is owned by the same operator as the three previously-announced Nebraska cases in Dixon County. Those three cases involve 3.5 million laying hens and a flock of 500,000 pullets (young hens), bringing the total impacted birds to date in Nebraska to 7 million. The location in Knox County is approximately 50 miles from the three Dixon County locations.

The Department quarantined the Knox County facility this morning following a preliminary positive test for the disease; the test is expected to be confirmed tomorrow at a federal laboratory.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Thanks Haypoint. 

Our state fair has already stated no fowl this year.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Wishful thinking?

USDA chief vet says bird flu cases waning, sees end by July
By Reuters Media
Grand Forks Herald
May 26, 2015


 The number of cases of bird flu in the United States has started to decline and the epidemic is likely to be over within a couple of months, helped by warm weather in the summer, the U.S. chief veterinary officer said on Tuesday.

"We believe the worst is behind us, which doesn't mean that we still won't see additional cases but we know we see a decline in cases," John Clifford, Chief Veterinary Officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told Reuters.

The U.S. poultry industry is confronting its biggest outbreak of bird flu on record, which has led to the death or culling of *40 million birds* after confirmation on commercial farms and backyard flocks in 16 U.S. states and in Canada.

"Summertime is coming. It gets hot in these places in July and because the heat and the sunlight reduces the virus present in the environment we will stop seeing cases," Clifford said on the sidelines of the general assembly of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

Bearfootfarm said:


> It's spread through direct contact with feces and bodily fluids, not through the air
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I have been cleaning my pen every 10 days. I just bought these suckas .


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

The job of disposal is huge. Try burying a million hens in a landfill without seagulls. I heard of a big incinerator being moved in to cremate the birds. I forgot the actual capacity in tons per hour, but it was huge. Cremate 20 million chickens and you might actually get some global warming for a few days! 
Composting is effective, too. But the scale of these operations makes everything massive.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Michigan has it's first case of high path. Avian Influenza, in wild Canada Geese, near Detroit. Lots of people around Detroit, so more likely that people would notice dying wild birds. I'd guess wild birds are dying in other locations, unnoticed.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Chicken house operations have had to deal with various infections long before the bird flu. I remember in the days before they had all the scientific data around here if a chicken house got plagued as they called it then, they killed all the chickens and cremated them while they burned down the infected chicken house and quietly built new chicken houses a safe distance away on their farm after informing the county agent of the infection.

Once they had the infected house burned down and cleaned up they reclaimed the area to be used in the future if another house got infected.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

I'm still waiting for the dead wild geese and turkeys to be noticed by someone somewhere....


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## Ziptie (May 16, 2013)

haypoint said:


> Wishful thinking?
> 
> USDA chief vet says bird flu cases waning, sees end by July
> By Reuters Media
> ...



I think so..come this fall same infected birds will migrate south and it will be cool again....I hope I am wrong.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Woolieface said:


> I'm still waiting for the dead wild geese and turkeys to be noticed by someone somewhere....


Read the news much? 
:gaptooth:


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Woolieface said:


> I'm still waiting for the dead wild geese and turkeys to be noticed by someone somewhere....


They don't normally drop dead in huge flocks, and most don't inhabit heavily populated areas, so seeing bodies isn't likely.

Many wild birds don't live beyond their first year, and while there are many millions of them you seldom see those bodies either.

Bodies don't last long in the wild


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Cost to Fight Bird Flu Could Climb to $500 Million
Bloomberg
AgWeb.com
June 8, 2015

Government spending to fight the worst U.S. bird flu outbreak and compensate farmers for their losses will exceed the $410 million so far budgeted and may top a half-billion dollars, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

While the outbreak of avian influenza, which sent egg prices to record highs, may be ebbing with warmer weather in the Midwest, spending to fight the disease will outstrip what's been approved, Vilsack told Bloomberg reporters and editors Monday in Washington.

"We need to be very prepared for this to reassert itself in the fall," Vilsack said.

About 45 million turkeys and chickens, including more than 10 percent of the country's laying hens, have been wiped out by the spread of avian influenza across the Midwest. Iowa, the top U.S. egg producer, has been hardest-hit. To make up for the loss of eggs sold in liquid form to food manufacturers, buyers are snapping up consumer-grade fresh eggs packed for consumer sale, driving costs higher.


Full text:
http://www.agweb.com/article/cost-to-fight-bird-flu-could-climb-to-500-million--blmg/


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

So true but eggs are one of the best nutritional buys for the money, even at such increased prices.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

haypoint said:


> Read the news much?
> :gaptooth:


Yeah, I searched it. The only thing I'm finding is a warning to wild turkey hunters to get their turkeys tested and three wild geese who appeared ill in Michigan.


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

*Wisconsin update*


http://www.startribune.com/wisconsin-lifts-its-last-5-bird-flu-control-zones/306823731/

JUNE 10, 2015 â 3:05PM
MADISON, Wis. â Wisconsin authorities have now lifted the control zones around all farms in the state that had been struck by the Midwest bird flu outbreak.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said Wednesday that the affected farms all remain under quarantine until further notice.

But it says quarantines on other poultry operations in those last five control zones, which were all in Barron County, are now released.

Wisconsin hasn't reported a new case of avian influenza since May 4. But State Veterinarian Paul McGraw says bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard enthusiasts, still need to watch them closely for signs of illness and to practice good biosecurity.

Wisconsin has had *10 detections since early May, which have cost its chicken and turkey producers nearly 2 million birds.*


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

First Midwest farm hit by bird flu restarts
By Associated Press
WDAZ.com
June 9, 2015

The first Midwest poultry farm struck by a deadly form of bird flu is growing turkeys again, even though the virus is still lurking in Minnesota and beyond.

Dr. Dale Lauer of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health says the Pope County farm was restocked with new birds Sunday.

He tells The Associated Press it's the first affected farm in the country's top turkey-producing state to reach that milestone. He also says a few other farms among the earliest victims will be restocked by next week.

http://www.wdaz.com/news/north-dakota/3762736-first-midwest-farm-hit-bird-flu-restarts


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Yesterday I saw a dead crow by the side of the road in our area. I guess it could be from something non-infectious but knowing how smart and quick crows are I doubt it was from being hit by a car. Maybe West Nile...


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

light rain said:


> Yesterday I saw a dead crow by the side of the road in our area. I guess it could be from something non-infectious but knowing how smart and quick crows are I doubt it was from being hit by a car. Maybe West Nile...


Michigan's first West Nile case this year was just announced, three dead crows.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks for posting this. 

One of our local news channels reported yesterday that scientists monitoring the tick population said in some areas of Madison WI the tick population had increased 10 fold this spring. Not in the same vein (well maybe it is) as the Avain flu and Hanta virus but still something to be aware of. And let me tell you, some of the tick born diseases are AWFUL...


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Here is a note from USDA:
 Message from the APHIS Administrator About Avian Influenza Response
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
June 12, 2015


Dear Stakeholders:

Right now, hundreds of veterinarians from my Agency are working around the clock to help egg and turkey producers battle a severe outbreak of avian influenza that has affected 50 million of their birds over the last 6 months. I couldn't be more proud of our employees and their admirable work alongside veterinarians from State Departments of Agriculture, producers, and thousands of contractors. Together, they are leading the response so that these vital businesses, and all who depend on them, can get back to work as soon as possible.

Outside of rural America, our Agency and our work may not be very well known. But to our Nation's farmers and ranchers, we are a trusted partner who keeps their plants and animals healthy and marketable. Over the course of our history, we have successfully eradicated livestock scourges, such as screwworm and pseudorabies, and led responses to detections of exotic Newcastle disease, avian influenza, and other diseases so consumers can be confident about our food, and important export markets remain open for producers.

We take the trust placed in us extremely seriously and I assure you that includes being ready to help producers and respond to outbreaks of serious livestock diseases. We have specific plans in place for responding to the most serious threats to livestock, including foot-and-mouth disease. These plans call for our veterinarians to set policies to appropriately and adequately respond to the threat, and lead response teams comprised of State partners, producers, and contractors in carrying out those plans and policies. If needed, we can tap into a large network of food animal veterinarians and veterinary students who are trained and ready to augment our response efforts. We also partner and train with other Federal agencies to ensure we're ready to work with them as part of an all-hands response.

APHIS knows some of the best information to improve our systems comes from real-world experience. Our employees' excellent work in Minnesota, Iowa, and other States is the best evidence we have of the success of our investments in workforce planning, emergency response, and employee training, even as our appropriation has been consistently reduced over the last several years. This will most likely be the most comprehensive response to a livestock disease in our Nation's history. We will carefully assess our efforts, and make sure that we continue to do all we can to build and support our veterinary workforce, which is the finest in the world.


Source:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/109585c


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

They released a list of probably spreading of the bird flu today in my state.

While probably about right, it comes across the news as rather strange. Those awful farmers, they are letting mice get in the barns, and the horror, some workers are moving from one chicken barn to the next chicken barn..... And so forth.

I just took the report as - slap your forehead and yell 'D'oh!' Yes there are mice and insects and songbirds around farms, and yes folks have to enter barns a couple times a day and yes folks who take biohazard issues seriously probably only are 99% effective.

Just seemed like a mean report, not a helpful one......

Paul


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

One report I read recently said scientists agreed with the things you stated and also, they said the wind was carrying it. What can anyone do about the wind...


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Poultry linked to avian flu surfaces in Georgia
By Jill Nolin CNHI state reporter
The Times-Enterprise
June 17, 2015


ATLANTA - The state's poultry industry just had its first brush with a deadly virus that has wiped out entire flocks in the Midwest.

Three shipments of live poultry, ordered online from an infected producer in Iowa, were sent to small farms in Georgia, including two near Fitzgerald and one in Meriwether County, said the state's veterinarian, Dr. Robert Cobb Jr.

The poultry - as well as existing flocks at the farms - were euthanized Tuesday.

Still, there is no evidence that avian influenza has spread to Georgia, said Cobb.

"Everything that potentially could have been associated with these birds is being destroyed, so that virus will not have a chance to be here any longer, if it was here to start with," he said.

The Iowa producer sent shipments to 37 states before learning that its poultry was infected, Cobb said. Hatching eggs and chicks from the shipments weren't tested in Georgia and other states, but poultry sent to Arizona did test positive for the virus.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Another million birds depopulated:
USDA Confirms More Highly Pathogenic H5N2 Avian Influenza in One Flock in Iowa
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
June 17, 2015


WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in one additional flock in Iowa. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time. CDC considers the risk to the general public from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low.

USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed HPAI H5N2 in the following counties and states:

 Wright County, Iowa (June 17, 2015)
 1,000,000 layer chickens
 6th detection in this county


Full text:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/10a4e1f


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Haypoint, I didn't see a date when the poultry/hatching eggs were shipped out of Iowa. Was it in the midst of the virus? Doesn't make sense to me... :hohum: Were the chickens tested before being transported? Why would Arizona be the only state to test the chickens on arrival? Who made that wise decision?

On your next post, don't you just love the govt? "Depopulate". How ridiculous! And someone gets big bucks, healthcare and retirement to spawn such semantics...


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

In WI they WILL test every bird that will be coming to fairs before they can enter.. I think MN is doing the same thing as well.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

I don't know...."depopulate" might be about right.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

This virus has been said to travel on anything from a bug to the wind. Does that above picture look like a sensible way to dispose of thousands of carcasses contaminated with something that pathogenic?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Woolieface said:


> This virus *has been said* to travel on anything from a bug to the wind. Does that above picture look like a sensible way to dispose of thousands of carcasses contaminated with something that pathogenic?


Lots of things are "said". but many of them simply aren't true
The proven vectors are feces and bodily fluids transferred from bird to bird

And yes, that is a sensible way to dispose of the carcasses, since they will be covered and composted

What way would you suggest to dispose of millions of birds?


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## poppy (Feb 21, 2008)

Anything, plant or animal, is highly prone to disease spread when confined in small areas. Another factor might be the generic makeup of the infected birds. Every poultry producer has their own strains they cross to get fast growing birds and they keep these strains going for decades. The birds in poultry houses are as close to being clones as you can get. Nearly identical birds would likely have the same response to fighting a certain disease. Those two factors may be why wild birds and home flacks aren't hit so hard.


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## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Lots of things are "said". but many of them simply aren't true
> The proven vectors are feces and bodily fluids transferred from bird to bird
> 
> And yes, that is a sensible way to dispose of the carcasses, since they will be covered and composted
> ...


 A sow farm with 3,000 head caught on fire a few yrs. back , there were no survivors . I was hired to help load and haul off the remains.Oh my gosh did it stink ... but that was a walk in the rose garden compared to how bad these chicken ssmell . I was in a car about 5 miles away from a site when I had to turn around and speed away . I have a friend who helped with the co2ing and he says the flies look like a black cloud you can see for miles .


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I could say, with a lot of science to back me up, that free range back yard hens are exposed to and contract more disease pathogens than confined birds. We have to be careful not to let our hate for confined birds and love of the free-range concept, trick ourselves into believing that diseases pop out of nothing to infect caged birds in million bird factories, just because they are confined or that fresh air and night crawlers prevent diseases.

There are several home flocks that have been infected. While scientists try to sort it all out, it is my based on nothing opinion that the cause of the spread is from 3rd world employees playing with diseased shipped all over the place fighting roosters in their off time.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> There are several home flocks that have been infected. While scientists try to sort it all out, it is my based on nothing opinion that the cause of the spread is from* 3rd world employees playing with diseased* shipped all over the place fighting roosters in their off time.


I think if that was true the cases would be more evenly distributed, and would be focused more in the South.

These cases are distributed along known flyways for migrating waterfowl


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## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

I'v just been told that they have been watering the birds from the ponds instead of the well ....idiots !!! 
~ faceplam ~


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Avian flu might spread via air, research shows
By Tom Cherveny, Forum News Service
TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
June 22, 2015


Scientists do not yet know whether spring winds carried the highly pathogenic avian influenza into barns and infected turkey or egg-laying flocks.

But they now consider airborne transmission a possibility in some of the cases of infected barns, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. It recently reported that "a preliminary analysis of wind data showed a relationship between sustained high winds and an increase in the number of infected farms approximately five days later."

An important part of the research showing that airborne transmission is a possibility was undertaken by a team including Dr. Montserrat Torremorell, D.V.M. She is an animal health expert with the University of Minnesota. Team members chased the virus at infected farms in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska during much of April and May.

"Like a bit of witch hunting," said Torremorell.


Full text:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_28361136/avian-flu-might-spread-via-air-research-shows


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

This sort of goes back to what I said on the first page, Haypoint.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Bearfootfarm said:


> And yes, that is a sensible way to dispose of the carcasses, since they will be covered and composted
> 
> What way would you suggest to dispose of millions of birds?


It's not a great way to dispose of carcasses. When they're buried like that, they don't actually compost. They sort of just gel and stay there. A better way to dispose of them would be in-house composting, which is what will happen in our area if/when the outbreak reaches the east coast. All of the feed will be emptied from the feed bins, and added to the chickens and litter already in the house. It will be composted and the heat from properly composted material will be high enough to kill any pathogens. Then the material will be emptied and the house will be completely sanitized. 

Burying them in a pit in the ground is the "old school" way to do it.


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