So this morning the UK Government has issued a warning about avian flu and recommended that all poultry and other domestic birds be kept inside for the next 30 days. It also goes on to say that if this isn't possible then measures should be taken to reduce poultry movement and to minimise direct and indirect contact between them and wild birds.
Well there's no chance of keeping mine in as I tend to keep the coop quite small and give the birds a large run. As I get up early this seems to work well for my birds, but not great when something unpredictable like this happens.
The alternative is to net the run to keep the wild birds out. This is easier said that done! Above is a video of what my chicken run looks like now - It resembles a third world shanty town but it should keep the wild birds out for the next 30 days. My other birds are also going to have a reshuffle, a few will be culled tonight and whilst the young chicks will have to stay in the broody ark for a while longer yet.
I want to make a little movable ark to fit my new garden beds to include chickens in my garden rotation, so it looks like that project it get moved up the priority list a bit now.
What measures have you had to take? Or are your birds already in enclosed runs? What about the wild bird droppings, would they be a problem as well?
I'm not sure disinfection foot baths are really going to work here as I think that's for more sterile environments than my muddy field, like commercial enterprises.
