Let’s clarify on the outset that chook flu hardly ever impacts people. Even rarer is chook flu transmitted from an contaminated individual to a different human. But the potential stays for the virus to mutate, inflicting a devastating chook flu pandemic. Certainly, the virus has already jumped from birds to different animals, together with dairy cows. As a resulted a number of dairy staff have skilled a gentle an infection. With that in thoughts, the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) recommends the next precautions to stop the unfold of chook flu on the county truthful or poultry present.
Keep House If You Really feel Sick
In case you have flu-like signs, keep residence to keep away from spreading sickness to different folks and to animals exhibited on the truthful. Signs of chook flu are just like signs of another sort of flu, though respiratory issues are extra widespread with chook flu. Different widespread chook flu signs in people embody fever, pink eye, upset abdomen, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The identical goes for poultry or different fair-going livestock that seem unwell, or even when your flock has lately skilled any respiratory sickness. Maintain them at residence to keep away from unintentionally spreading chook flu on the county truthful. Indicators of chook flu in chickens could also be as vague as ruffled feathers accompanied by lack of vitality and urge for food.
Eat Elsewhere
Don’t eat or drink if you are visiting barns or present arenas on the truthful. That goes, too, for even touching your mouth or eyes.
Since flu spreads by means of breath, saliva, mucus, and stool, you possibly can’t make certain in case you may need touched one thing with flu virus on it. And flu viruses usually tend to be current in settings, like gala’s and exhibitions, the place people and animals from numerous locations come collectively in shut contact.
Likewise, don’t carry something right into a livestock barn or exhibition space that your toddlers may put into their mouth or contact with their arms earlier than placing their arms of their mouth. That features any toys, pacifiers, consuming cups or bottles, strollers, and comparable objects.
Keep away from Animals that Look Sick
Keep away from direct bodily contact with any animal that appears or acts unwell, particularly poultry, pigs, and cattle. Pigs and cattle, together with poultry, are particularly weak to chook flu.
What’s direct bodily contact? It contains touching, holding, and kissing an animal or being shut sufficient for it to chew, lick, or scratch. Should you completely have to come back into contact with an animal which may be unwell, put on private protecting tools (PPE).
Disinfect Your Gear
Clear and disinfect all of your tools — together with feeders, waterers, journey carriers, and present provides — earlier than bringing them to the truthful. Don’t share tools that has been used for different animals on the truthful. And disinfect all the pieces whenever you get again residence.
Plus it’s all the time a good suggestion to quarantine returning birds for roughly 4 weeks earlier than re-integrating them into your flock. The quarantine interval offers you time to see if the birds have acquired any sicknesses or ailments.
Wash Your Arms
Everyone knows the mantra from the newest pandemic: Wash your arms usually. Use cleaning soap and working water after touching poultry or different livestock, tools related to livestock, or leaving an animal space.
When cleaning soap and water aren’t accessible, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You’ll be able to make your personal hand sanitizer for about one-quarter the price of shopping for it.
Most of those commonsense solutions pertain whether or not you exhibit at a good or poultry present, or are tending your personal flock at residence. Don’t eat or drink whereas caring to your chickens. And totally wash your arms after visiting your flock.
And that’s at present’s information from the Cackle Coop.
Gail Damerow has written quite a few books about retaining poultry, lots of them accessible from the Cackle Bookstore. Illustration tailored from CDC Flu-Honest-Season-Poster.
