Avian Flu

[Mr Potato Head]

As you may or may not know, commercial producers who keeps more than 50 poultry birds are being asked to register with DEFRA. I heard on the radio this morning that it was advisable to register, however many birds you might have, to keep up to date with best practice for Avian Flu and H5N1. Although this is still supposedly restricted to those raising birds on a commercial basis.

The DEFRA site does have a reasonably useful Q&A section about the disease if anyone's interested.

[Chantal]

Thanks for the info; I've had a look at the DEFRA website.

Under the list of symptoms is "oedema of the head", does anyone know what this looks like?

Thanks

Clueless of Rugby

[Deb P]

Oedema is just a posh/medical way of saying swelling, and as the advice also mentions cyanosis (bluish discolouration due to lack of oxygen) of the comb, I presume it is just the main part of the birds head that swells up; doesn't sound nice at all!

[Chantal]

Thanks for that charming information; if it does that to chickens heaven only knows what could happen to us! I'm ready to keep mine in their shed should AV hit UK shores, I'm lucky (and so are they) that I only have three girls now and a very large garden shed that's their home so for us it could be worse. My worry is that small birds can get into their run through the holes in the roof net made by the squirrels. I guess I'll have to rebuild their run with an aviary mesh roof to stop the squirrels and then cover that to stop wild birds crapping through the wire. What a nightmare, I'm praying it doesn't happen.

Thanks again

Chantal