Birds in the back yard

[Dotch]

I don't think the owners really have a choice given the USDA protocol. USDA and MN BAH veterinarians are both monitoring the buildings as I understand it. The majority of these buildings are owned by folks like Glen Taylor (egg laying operations in IA) and other large corporate entities like Hormel (turkeys). They own the birds inside the buildings while the property owner usually owns the buildings themselves and provides the labor, which is how they get paid. I too wonder why the meat couldn't somehow be salvaged altho that would put a sudden burden on slaughter and packing capacity. Then there's the also the potential liability issue should the virus suddenly decide to cross boundaries and discovers it likes humans too. I don't think it would be wise to just let it run its course either. Then you run the potential of creating a huge pool of disease carrying birds to infect others with, along with the increased potential for mutation in a huge petri dish.

While I don't like what is happening, I really don't see much of an alternative at this point. I do think they need to work on new prevention measures and the place to start is to determine how it's getting into the buildings in the first place. I have some sneaking suspicions that the lovely house sparrow and starling populations serve as a bridge and are partly to blame. Some have said go free range like Europe. What do they do in Europe when bird flu shows up in the wild bird population within proximity of their poultry operations? They put the poultry inside! Smaller, less localized flocks like the good old days when I was growing up would probably help but then efficiency is lost and resulting prices are higher.

In the sheep industry, we've been involved in the USDA's scrapie eradication program for many years. Luckily, the USDA did their homework well on this program and they made the proper changes when producers voiced their concerns about problems. While it's still an animal destruct policy on animals affected, there's genetic testing allowing identification of individuals that are genetically resistant and they are spared. The prevalence of scrapie is almost unheard of anymore. USDA needs to quit spending so much time worrying about climate change, cover crops, soil health, carbon credits, etc., and focus more on what's feeding this country in the here and now.

[roony]

WRENS !

[Dotch]

You got some? 

[LPS]

WRENS !

 

[roony]

You got some? 

Haven't seen any of them suspected bird flu spreaders yet!

[Dotch]

WLM= Wren Lives Matter! 

[LPS]

Oh Oh, for the first time ever we have two Canada geese eating green grass that is under one of our bird feeders that we don't fill very much.  They are probably 30 yards from the house and they are driving Cooper crazy.  He is settling down some now I guess.  SO are we in bird flu territory now?  LOL 

[snow1]

Oh Oh, for the first time ever we have two Canada geese eating green grass that is under one of our bird feeders that we don't fill very much.  They are probably 30 yards from the house and they are driving Cooper crazy.  He is settling down some now I guess.  SO are we in bird flu territory now?  LOL

LOL,Oh oh is right,they'll be laying large green land mines accross your yard LP, but cooper is your huckleberry,he'll scarfing them up ,maybe rolling in them...lucky you...

[LPS]

After on hour or so I let him out to scare them away.  Haven't seen them yet today.  I too thought of him rolling in the goose crap

[Dotch]

It only stinks until they get it all rubbed off on the furniture...🦨

[fishwidow]

Had to bathe one of my dogs last night. He cornered a mink in a small hollow in the base of a tree. Got him in the house and my wife handed me a bottle of Skunk-Off. I didn’t notice outside,  but once in the house it was really apparent.

[LPS]

I always so "go see your Mom".  I think it is funny as heck but it never works.  LOL

[snow1]

Okay fish, I'm confused,mink spray?

[fishwidow]

Mink piss.

[LPS]

I worked at a mink ranch when I was a kid and they stink bad.  Our family dog growled mean at me the first night I got home from work.  It took awhile for me to get her to calm down. 

[snow1]

lol,so your pup got ahold of the critter....they let out piss to wort off enemies? like a skunk.never knew this,I have mink that crusie along my creek at times luckly my dog never made contact with them,he has killed a few muskrats tho.I'm sure they pissed when he grabs em just not on him.

[fishwidow]

Hey, LPS, was that near Annandale?  I knew a guy whose family had a fur farm near there. They had at least one of every possible critter that had fur.

[LPS]

No it was in Luverne.  The family had been in it for years and I helped to build the new ranch.  Pretty cool operation.

[Bobberineyes]

Thanks for the heads-up on mink,  never knew that.  Our dogs are on leash at the cabin while walking ( just cuz people drive 50 in a 30) but have seen a few of them critters cut across the slough areas.

[fishwidow]

Yeah, it’s not like skunk spray—not as sharp— but it definitely is a nasty odor. I found it also easier to get rid of on the dog than skunk. Poor guy—just in the wrong place athe wrong time. If he had stayed near the creek instead of crossing paths with my thug of a cocker spaniel, he’d still do alive doing mink stuff.

[mike89]

But songbirds are likely at very little risk of carrying the disease, according to Carstensen and the DNR.

There have only been a handful of known bird flu cases in songbirds throughout history, Carstensen said.

"The risk of them carrying the virus isn't high, but it is certainly not impossible," she said. "Birdfeeders are probably not very problematic."

This seems to contradict what the Raptor center stated a week ago. Hoping more name calling doesn’t get started again.
 
copied this from else where, take it for what it's worth...   

[LPS]

Or if a guy lived by a big turkey or chicken facility I could see maybe being more careful but there are none of those near me.

[Dotch]

There are several, myself included, who think the Raptor Center overstepped its bounds and with the mainstream media performing as it does, you can see what happens. If they have data on songbirds being infected, let's see it. As any math teacher would request, show your work. Don't play the CYA game that's rampant in our MN governmental agencies. The media too is so lazy it's pathetic. Sounds like avian flu is slowing some as well. Only a couple new cases on the MN BAH website today. Not surprising as the likely source of infection, namely large flocks of waterfowl, have passed thru the area. Also not surprising, a couple of the Waseca Co. barns that broke with it are in close proximity to a body of water where large numbers of waterfowl rest on their migration through.   

Speaking of the media, I submitted the spring planting article I'd written for the local paper Monday, after having made additions and corrections because they hadn't run it the week before like they'd told me they would. Luckily I caught it or the dummies would've run the 10 day old information on the avian flu portion of the article and made me look like a fool. I updated the info so it would be as current as possible and provided corrected info for my bio which they had royally botched. What happened? I got the paper today and looked at the article. The corrections in the copy itself were made but the stuff in my bio was still all effed up! Things I'd included in parentheses & assumed they'd figure out weren't to be printed, got printed & only made it worse!🤡🤡🤡's In my book, it's a cardinal sin not to show the article's author the copy as it will appear before it goes to print. I've dealt with some great pro's over the years thru Farm Journal, Successful Farming, Pro Farmer, The Farmer, RRFN, and the list goes on. They've always had the brains and courtesy to do that. They might want an interview down the road so it's just good policy, especially when dealing with technical info they're not familiar with. I chewed the guy's dad out for the same crap when he owned the paper. The apple doesn't fall from the tree I guess. Talk a good show but too lazy to make sure the info is right or to check other sources and provide the other side of the story as was the case with the info you provided mikey. Too bad when you have to do their work for them. 

[snow1]

Dotch,

good info on your thoughts of the bird flu,I'm amazed very little print about what has been taking place in our western states regarding all the infected waterfowl as they migrate,bet we picked up well over 100 dead snow/blue geese on every day outing's (several hunts)from nebraska and the dakota's,seen one kestrel hawk fall stone dead out of a tree over hanging my pole barn in chamberlain,also seen a snow goose fall stone dead out of a huge flock escaping my approach,upon inspection of dead goose to verify whether it was shotgun pellet that hit a vital and resulted in a slow death which happens quite often folks shooting steel ammo,not the case on this goose,these dead birds are feathers/skin no body mass,we burned piles of these dead birds on a daily basis,nature has a away to reduce populations.

Regarding your farm journal issue,it's my belief our younger generation 20-30 year olds are lacking hands on experience/street smarts,they have learned to take the easy route,let someone else to the leg work and if it's wrong blame someone else...sound familiar?

[LPS]

Frustrating Dotch.  Laziness seems like the way of the world these days.  Let someone else do it instead of taking the bull by the horns. 

[Dotch]

Yup and it's not just the media stuff either Barry. Boomers are retiring and a lot of places are having a devil of a time finding people to replace them and the work ethic they represented. A lot of the replacements no longer want to pay their dues. Want to start where the people they're replacing were getting paid but not do as much work.

snow, I see on the CDC map that hasn't been updated since early April (speaking of laziness) that there are a lot of primarily waterfowl detects in the states to our west. And as you said, not much mention about it. My brother (works for what used to be Informa) & I were exchanging info too and both of us were wondering how much testing was done last time around on not only waterfowl but songbirds.

I agree too snow, definite lacking of hands on experience, part of paying your dues. We've been talking about that in here, that especially these younger guys really have an issue trying to figure out when conditions are fit to work ground and plant in the spring. Most of them don't garden anymore & wouldn't be caught dead checking behind the planter to see if it's tacky or their planting depth and singulation are good. What if their buddy down the road saw them? No style points.   

[Dotch]

Latest MPR article

https://www.albertleatribune.com/2022/04/avian-influenza-deaths-in-wild-birds-raise-concern-about-changing-virus/

[snow1]

Dotch,

I hunted this spring with a ornthologist from nebraska university,we talked about the bird flu and why kill every bird in the flock,he has done extentive studies the past 15 years.

His input best I can remember:

he's done thousands of PCR's some have trivial mistakes buit not all,If a chicken flock has h5n1 or higher pathogenic version it will spread quickly to every bird,killing every bird in the flock,workers will spread the virus on shoes etc.,he claims only logical action is to kill off the flock as quickly as possible,this flu doesn't run it's course like our annual influenza,The possibility of a chicken will be resistant to h5n1 is very low and not worth the risk.

Further when this professor was in S.E. asia several years ago doing a study this flu infected the asian population,he claimed about 50% of the ppl that caught this flu died within a couple days of being infected.although they lacked quality medical care.

He said fortunately the flu doesn't transmit to humans easily or from person to person.

he lectures often and sent me to this site for more information,I thought you or others might want to check out.
"nextstrain.org"

This site shows how far this flu has spread all thru asia and euorpe,even africa.

[mike89]

another sign of spring, the pelicans are back now...

[snow1]

another sign of spring, the pelicans are back now...

Last week in south dakota,seen flocks of pelicans,sand hills and two small family groups of whooping cranes riding high altitude thermals,circling and slowly heading north,cool to witness,only second time in my life I've seen wild whooping cranes,rare site.