Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Oh, and Rusty's foot seems ok, she still seems to limp a little occasionally when it's cold I did give her a spot more of the medicine the other day. Maybe she's just getting like an old lady with her aches and pains

So glad Rusty's foot seems ok now, bless her 😍  Always good if you have a little medicine left to give them if you think they need a little top up of it.  I must admit I hate completely using up medicines mine have been prescribed because just having that bit leftover, as long as it is in date, of course, helps them later should they need it. Obviously, this doesn't work with antibiotics because they should be given the whole prescribed course.  But, anti-inflammatory meds and pain killers are always handy to have if there are a couple left over.

Edwink x

edwink

Morning everyone and a very early morning at that! Guess who couldn't sleep last night and is still awake at silly-o-clock?🤣  Goodness knows why I have to say. 

Anyway, all going well here with my hens and little Hoppy.  I've had my rescue girls for just over a year now and I have to say they are all looking healthy and all fully feathered except for one, aka Baldy, who is quite skittish and has never really grown the feathers back on her little body.  It's mainly her back and her bottom that they are missing from but it doesn't seem to bother her. She mixes in well with the others except for when she decides to have a peck at one of them then she becomes a menace, bless her. We have an egg eater onboard here and surprise, surprise it's Baldy.  I don't mind if she wants to eat one or two, really I don't but she breaks them open and merrily eats them and gets all the others in the pile all mucky and sticky. Told you she was a menace 🤣🤣🤣

How is everyone else getting on?  Hope you have harmony in the camp and all your girls are doing ok.

I've got some nice pics to put on here so hopefully, I'll get them on over the weekend. It's going to be jolly wet here and we will be indoors most of the time so I should get them on ok 😀

Take care and stay safe everyone.

Edwink x

edwink

Avian Flu

I have just spotted on the BBC news on-line that an area of Kent has an outbreak of Avian Flu and a 1km restriction zone has been put in place around the premises.  Sorry, I can seem to add the link to the BBC article for those that want to read it. I will try again to add it if I can. 

Just do your best to check on your girls every single day to make sure they are all ok. 

I'll update as I hear more and if anyone else finds anything else out about the outbreak please do post the information on here. Thank you.

Edwink x

ETA.  I am still having trouble posting the BBC link on here, unfortunately.  (new-ish laptop is not helping plus I still can't fully get the hang of Windows 10 yet.  Grrrr!!! 

Cheery_Daff

Thanks edwink, that's worrying. Here's a link to the story

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-54785365

I did wonder what the farm had 480 birds for if they weren't supplying poultry, meat or eggs though. Perhaps pet food? You'd think that would still count as meat (but perhaps not affecting the human food supply...). Hmm. Let's hope it's isolated. 

Hope all beaky pals safe and well xx

Cheery_Daff

Oh no, now this is sad, even more sad than it first appeared. I did a bit of digging, and found the same story in a local newspaper, and it seems it's this lady and her rescue place, she breeds chickens to sell to folks keeping them in the back garden  

https://www.chookiesfarm.co.uk/

No mention on the web page, but if you click the link to their Facebook page, she's heartbroken but it seems there's nothing they can do

edwink

Thanks ever so much for posting the links Cheery, much appreciated.   It is so sad, very, very sad 😢 Poor lady, bless her heart she must be devastated 😢

Edwink x

edwink

Another outbreak of Avian flu - very worrying

Sadly there has been another outbreak of Avian Flu at Frodsham in Cheshire. But, this one is a different strain than the outbreak in Kent. The Kent strain is the H5N2 strain and the outbreak in Cheshire is the H5N8 strain. 

I'll post when I hear more.  I just wish I could get the link to the article on here. 
  
Edwink x 

Cheery_Daff

Here you go
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-influenza-bird-flu-identified-at-cheshire-broiler-breeder#:~:text=Avian flu has been confirmed,the farm will be culled.

Sorry for massive link- i'm on the phone and can only do cut and paste ones.

They've posted general advice for backyard green keepers,  i'll paste that too

Cheery_Daff

From the link above.

There are some simple measures that all poultry keepers, whether they are running a large commercial farm, keeping a few hens in their back garden, or rearing game birds, should take to protect their birds against the threat of avian flu.

These include:

• Keeping the area where birds live clean and tidy, controlling rats and mice and regularly cleansing and disinfecting any hard surfaces
• Cleaning footwear before and after visits
• Placing birds’ feed and water in fully enclosed areas that are protected from wild birds, and removing any spilled feed regularly
• Putting fencing around outdoor areas where birds are allowed and limiting their access to ponds or areas visited by wild waterfowl
• Where possible, avoid keeping ducks and geese with other poultry species.

edwink

Hi everyone

All going ok here with my girls and I must say it is so nice and heartwarming seeing them fully feathered this Autumn whereas last year they came to retire here in October and many still didn't have feathers coming into the real colder months. I have two with some feathers missing on the tops of their backs but besides that, all of them look a good weight and are very healthy now.  I must get some pics on here as I have taken some but it is always a lack of time with me getting them on here. I make myself lists and go through them but more often than not as I tick items off the list I end up adding more as other things that need doing spring to mind. 

I hope everyone and their families are keeping well and staying safe.

Edwink x