Quote:

Australia’s back yard chicken owners urged to implement biosecurity measures in case of bird flu outbreak Australia is the only continent free from the highly contagious H5N1 virus, after it was detected in wild bird colonies in Antarctica in February

When I started getting ready to get some chooks (from a niece who wanted rid of them) I did some reading. In the booklet I bought on keeping chickens it was stated to keep them separated from wildbirds. “Chicken wire” then is obviously too wide, won’t keep sparrows etc out. As well as netting to define the space of the run netting should go over the top of the run too, to exclude wild birds.

Backyard chook owners with maybe half a dozen chickens can do this—what about commercial free range operators?


Quote:

The risk of infection in Australian wild birds is classified as high, after a risk assessment provided to the Department of Agriculture in December. The risk to poultry is listed as moderate to high. Dr Melinda Cowan, a veterinary specialist in avian medicine, said her Sydney clinic is already making preparations for an outbreak. “It’s critical that all bird owners, but especially our pet chicken owners, are aware of how to implement and potentially improve their own biosecurity measures,” she said. “And it’s sensible anyway.” Cowan said authorities are worried about the disease being introduced by migrating seabirds and nomadic waterfowl. The highly virulent strain of the virus has been identified in more than 300 species of wild birds worldwide. “We all need to really have our finger on the button,” she said. “We need to be very mindful of what’s going on overseas, there are definitely some things that we could implement straight away.” Adélie penguins in Antarctica ‘Cautious optimism’ as penguins test positive for bird flu but show no symptoms Read more Cowan said homes with back yard chickens or pet birds could reduce the risk of interaction with wild birds by creating netted, enclosed spaces and regularly changing and sanitising sources of food and water. She said that while implementing biosecurity measures in small back yards may be challenging, “this will be the way that we can protect our beloved pet birds, if we implement these things now”. “We are mentioning this concern so people can be alert but not alarmed. We are trying to educate people about this concern and what they can do to help their flock.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/12/australias-back-yard-chicken-owners-urged-to-implement-biosecurity-measures-in-case-of-bird-flu-outbreak

Pet birds? Pets? I buy chooks for the lovely eggs they lay, not as bloody pets! I do enjoy the contented clucking of chickens but that is as far is it goes.

There are some seagulls etc around so, yes, will keep my chooks, when I get them, isolated from wild birds.

Poor penguins—flu virus found in Antarctic penguins—as if too much/too little sea ice isn’t hard enough now they are at risk of the deadly avian virus!