Lock up your birds

Saw a post on a non-poultry forum a few days ago with a photo of somebody's new hen run & coop, only 1200mm high fencing around the perimeter with nothing above and the feeder & drinker uncovered out in the open.

 

I'm actually getting rather irritated by the amount of chicken owners who think the rules don't apply to them! I'm bending over backwards to keep my flock in & the dam woman up the road still hasn't put a cover over her run & her hens are free ranging rant over!

 

Even birds down here are free range even with bird flu not far away, it just make you say sod it and don't care like the rest

 

found some interesting "news" this morning..
http://www.tivysideadvertiser.co.uk..._emergency_measures_extended_to_end_of_April/

looked on wales.gov and defra.. nothing of the sort has been updated?

 

The latest suspected outbreak of A.I is inRedgrave Suffolk, that's about a 30 Min drive from my house . I hope the farm have tightened up their biosecurity! I've now banned everyone from my back garden, I'm fretting about the disease being spread on shoes (kev says I'm neurotic!....no me!!!!)
I've disinfected again but there's little more I can do now. I'm feeding the birds out the front but I'm not encouraging birds in the back garden, although that's a waste of time because my blackbirds have been in the garden for years they aren't going anywhere! My wagtails are back & as you all know I have blue tits, great tits, Jenny wren, sparrows dunnocks, gold finch, bullfinch etc visit my garden all the time. The geese are back on the pond down the road too, im keeping my hens in & their food & water is all covered.....not a lot else I can do

 

Well done Beckie for doing what you can wish every one would take the same approach and do things properly

 

... because that would save people needless worry. Spoke to someone over the 'phone this weekend who was frantic with worry that one of her hens *may* have bird flu:
Me: Do you keep your birds under cover?
Her: Yes, for the past couple of days ... only heard about this bird flu thing last week



I had to refrain for letting the words "responsible ownership" pass my lips

 

For England Avian influenza (bird flu) in winter 2016 to 2017 - News stories - GOV.UK

Scroll down to "after 28 February" for details of 'more targeted approach' Update on biosecurity measures to protect against Avian Flu - News stories - GOV.UK

 

Here I go again......., I'm sorry but for those people who are playing ignorant & telling others they haven't heard about the AI outbreak & lockdown must live Ina world without any tv, radio or newspapers! That excuse is starting to run very thin with me . Just my opinion but if you have an animal then YOU are reasonsibke for its welfare, you need to be keeping up with current affairs & making sure you are looking after your animal(s)
correctly....you can register with DEFRA & they will email you with updates, even Jeremy vine did a phone in, countryfile, Suffolk radio, BBC, news bulletins, sky news to name but a few have all covered the story
My girls are still in, they have plenty of things to occupy them (a treat ball, blocks of wood, dirtbath, wood clippings, steps, a table for jumping on & various veggies etc), they are used to being in now, they still try to escape when I clean them out & yes they would prefer to be running around the garden like loons but I have to be responsible....if I can do it anyone can! I have a feeling we're are going to see an improvement just yet....we need a spell of really warm weather...apparently heat kills the virus cold doesn't!
I'm glad I got that off my chest!

 

Beckie, some people just can't be bothered, 25% of slaughter houses don't meat basic hygiene standards, on one of my walks i see some fence posts which have been take out and just lead on the ground with nails in them (points up) in which cattle and sheep have been out in the same field the the farmer has walked and driven past them for 2 years and done nowt about it, some people don't care a toss lease days untill it goes wrong then they moan, even if you report things it don't get done farm assurance whats that don't get me wrong there are some good people out there but it's the bad one that come to light

 

Total reason I gave up eating meat, after seeing a farmer on telly that didn't give a toss about the animals he was supposed to be looking after.

That's 33 years of custom they lost from me.

 

You can't trust any one any more, even the one's that are to be policing things

Why can't people take pride in doing things properly