Local chicken owners discuss thoughts on pathogenic avian flu
Nov. 27—Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continue to erupt in nearby counties, and local chicken owners are working to ensure the virus doesn't take hold with their birds.
Sherry Clark, agriculture educator for the Cherokee County OSU Cooperative Extension Office, said the disease can kill poultry rapidly, so domestic birds must be kept separate from wild waterfowl and areas where wild and domestic waterfowl mingle.
"It's still a very serious situation obviously," Clark said. "We're seeing that if it gets into these integrated flocks, it's deadly."
Clark said the disease has only been reported in Carter, Grady, and Wagoner counties, with no cases confirmed in Cherokee County. Symptoms of the current strain of HPAI include extreme depression, a decrease in feed or water intake, coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, decreased egg production, sudden death, quietness among the flock, and swelling or purple discoloration of legs, wattle, comb, head, or eyelids.
While the disease impacts chickens by causing possible death, State Veterinarian Rod Hall said the eggs and poultry are safe to consume. Clark said that so far, this strain has not shown to cause any issues among humans.
When it comes to the virus making its way to an integrated flock, Clark said, this can kill an entire flock, rather than just one or two birds.
"It's a pretty serious thing," Clark said. "When people keep talking about and talking about it, it's serious stuff."
Merissa Bogle, a Cherokee County resident, owns and manages about 100 different free-range hens. Bogle said she is not really worried about her flock coming in contact with the strain.
"I'm no doctor; I'm no scientist. However, I do know that anytime there is a migration — so obviously spring, winter — there's going to be a migration of wild geese...," Bogle said. "Anytime you're going to have that, you're going to have some type of disease, infection, something like that in your area, because it's like when you send your kids back to school, and you have other kids' germs now coming home on your kid. It's almost the exact same way."
While the thought of HPAI is in the back of her mind, Bogle said the main reason she does not fret over her flock contracting it is that it may be inevitable, since she does not have a big enough area to contain all her poultry. Bogle said she believes there are more benefits for her flock to be free-range than there are for them to be locked up.
Clark said some biosecurity that may help curtail HPAI involves preventing contact with wild birds, restricting access by visitors, having set clothing and footwear for when working with poultry, disinfecting footwear before walking int a coop, and not sharing equipment with other poultry owners.
Rose Bradham, of Bradham Farms, is also not worried about HPAI. Her flock is not free-range and she also keeps them up to date on wormer and other medications.
Bradham does think people need to be worried about the virus, as long as they are taking care of their poultry's basic needs. Providing clean water, keeping their coops clean, and giving them dewormer, minerals, and probiotics, are some of the ways Bradham listed to help to keep disease down within flocks.
Bradham said another way to keep diseases and viruses from running amok is by refraining from introducing chickens to an established flock from auctions, or without knowing where the birds are from. If someone does buy some poultry from an auction, Bradham said, the birds should be quarantined. Clark said quarantining for a minimum of 14 days should be done for poultry near other birds that may be caring the virus.
Get help
Those who think they have a bird showing symptoms of the HPAI should call a local vet, the Cherokee County OSU Extension Office at 918-456-6163, or the state veterinarian's office at 405-522-6141.
