The steady increase in cases of Avian Flu is a concern of many backyard chicken owners.
We want to give you the tools to protect your flock and identify any potential symptoms in your hens.
Avian Influenza is a disease found most often in wild birds. However, the flu can be spread to farmed chickens and even backyard chickens. There are important steps to follow to ensure that safety of your backyard chickens to avoid catching this disease.
How to Identify Avian Flu in Your Backyard Chickens
The avian flu is a fast working disease that can wipe out your entire flock in a day. It is important to keep an eye on your birds by checking in on them at least once a day. If you notice a combination of any of the following symptoms, then it is required to contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) by telephone. If you are renting chickens from CITY Chickens, please contact us immediately.
Backyard Chickens and Avian Flu Symptoms:
- lack of energy, movement or appetite
- decreased egg production
- swelling around the head, neck and eyes
- coughing, gasping for air or sneezing
- nervous signs, tremors or lack of coordination
- diarrhea
5 Steps to Keep Your Backyard Chickens Safe
#1 Limit Exposure to Wild Birds
The first step is to make your yard less attractive to wild birds. Start by taking down any bird feeders you have or bird baths. In addition, be sure to keep your chickens waterer and feeder inside the run. That will limit the opportunity for wild birds to transmit avian flu to your hens.
#2 Keep a Clean Space for Chickens
Again, it’s important to keep your chickens coop, feeder and waterer clean. You will naturally need to clean out the coop from time to time, remember to bring out a pail with soap and water to clean off the feeder and waterer. One thing to remember if you’re visiting any farms or other backyards with chickens, hose off your shoes and change your clothes before visiting your own flock.
#3 Limit Visits and Visitors
Another vector of transmission comes from visitors. While avian flu does not typically infect humans, the disease could be carried on shoes, clothes or even hands. The disease lives on in the scat from infected birds. Be sure that shoes, clothes and hands are cleaned off properly before interacting with your own hens.
#4 Quarantine New Hens
If you plan to expand your flock this season, it is important to quarantine new hens. This is a good practice to introduce as it will keep your hens safe and help you identify if there are sick birds in the quarantined group. This is good news for our rental customers as we ensure that the birds we bring for the season have been quarantined and are in good health!
#5 Know the Signs
Lastly it is most important to familiarize yourself with the signs of avian flu. If you know the signs, then you can report it to CFIA or CITY Chickens. Reporting cases of avian flu is how we can help to prevent the spread of the disease and reduce the risk to other birds. Backyard chickens and avian flu should be a priority for any chicken owner.