WaterfowlForum.Net

Alaska has had some birds test for the low pathogenic (doesn't kill the bird) Avian Flu in the past couple of years. This fall, for the first time, several hundred sea birds washed up on the beaches and they determined it is the highly pathogenic version. Google says there have been outbreaks in the Lower 48 before. Anyone know more about this and is it a serious threat to the populations or just another flu that hits birds.

It happens fairly routinely.

Botulism killed a 5-6000 birds on the east coast 3 years ago and it wasn't a big issue.
Not sure how different the Bird Flu will be

DeadEye_Dan wrote:It happens fairly routinely.

Botulism killed a 5-6000 birds on the east coast 3 years ago and it wasn't a big issue.
Not sure how different the Bird Flu will be

I have heard about those die-offs but thought that was related to specific food sources (corn in South Dakota) that went to shit and got fed on by thousands of birds? This just happened so they think the disease will die in the carcasses over the winter but they are trying to pick-up as many as they can. They said this would have spread big time if it was a summer deal. I have no history with this but suspect the birds would eventually develop resistance through survival of the fittest.

We had west nile and botulism kill a bunch of birds this fall.

I should get one of the dead ones and ship it to DuckHammer for analysis in one of his oversize chicken nurseries.

We have die offs from avian cholera every so many years. Normally it happens when we have weather like we are experiencing now. Very cold and clear seems to concentrate the birds and makes them susceptible to the disease. Sometimes the Feds will run airboats on the refuge closed zones to make the birds move. It can make for some awesome hunting.

Bootlipkiller wrote:We have die offs from avian cholera every so many years. Normally it happens when we have weather like we are experiencing now. Very cold and clear seems to concentrate the birds and makes them susceptible to the disease. Sometimes the Feds will run airboats on the refuge closed zones to make the birds move. It can make for some awesome hunting.

Do you have a persistent fever and cough?

AKPirate wrote:

Bootlipkiller wrote:We have die offs from avian cholera every so many years. Normally it happens when we have weather like we are experiencing now. Very cold and clear seems to concentrate the birds and makes them susceptible to the disease. Sometimes the Feds will run airboats on the refuge closed zones to make the birds move. It can make for some awesome hunting.

Do you have a persistent fever and cough?

I have so many diseases they cancel each other out.

Shit like that moves through bird populations regularly. Doves die by the thousands all the damn time. The culprit is whatever disease is moving through the area at that time.

Maybe when Beef gets out of the slam he can fill us in a little better.

Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

Bootlipkiller wrote:We have die offs from avian cholera every so many years. Normally it happens when we have weather like we are experiencing now. Very cold and clear seems to concentrate the birds and makes them susceptible to the disease. Sometimes the Feds will run airboats on the refuge closed zones to make the birds move. It can make for some awesome hunting.

This happens on lower klamath almost every late summer/early fall to varying degrees. It was a pretty big one this year. They say its caused by lack of water causing birds to be in higher concentrations. Too many birds eating, and pooping in the same water. They run refuge employees around in airboats picking up the dead to try to prevent it spreading.

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

Do chickens migrate in the fall or spring?

assateague wrote:Do chickens migrate in the fall or spring?

I was wondering the same thing. Then I pictured a mass exodus of millions of chickens and started to chuckle.

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

a few weeks ago you were telling me they don't drug chickens, what gives man

assateague wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

Do chickens migrate in the fall or spring?

During the waterfowl migration hoss.

jehler wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

a few weeks ago you were telling me they don't drug chickens, what gives man

They don't use growth hormones on chickens. There are 2 vaccines that I can think of for AI and LT. And some medicine is given in extreme circumstances but its usually just sulfa drug.

The Duck Hammer wrote:

assateague wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

Do chickens migrate in the fall or spring?

During the waterfowl migration hoss.

I'm going to set up in the back pasture in April for snow goose. I checked the regs, and I can't find any restrictions on chickens, so I think I'll stake out some live decoys. Hopefully I can call in a couple flocks of broilers. Not sure about the ecallers for them, but I'm going to set up a tape recorder tomorrow morning in the coop so I'll have it, just in case. I'm gonna wear those fuckers out if they come in closer than 20 yards.

assateague wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:

assateague wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

Do chickens migrate in the fall or spring?

During the waterfowl migration hoss.

I'm going to set up in the back pasture in April for snow goose. I checked the regs, and I can't find any restrictions on chickens, so I think I'll stake out some live decoys. Hopefully I can call in a couple flocks of broilers. Not sure about the ecallers for them, but I'm going to set up a tape recorder tomorrow morning in the coop so I'll have it, just in case. I'm gonna wear those fuckers out if they come in closer than 20 yards.

Whatever floats your boat but you're going to be very disappointed.

I'll be able to see flocks of them walking in from a half mile away. It's gonna be awesome.

The Duck Hammer wrote:

jehler wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

a few weeks ago you were telling me they don't drug chickens, what gives man

They don't use growth hormones on chickens. There are 2 vaccines that I can think of for AI and LT. And some medicine is given in extreme circumstances but its usually just sulfa drug.

Sulfa Drug??? I seem to recall that the Pope has authorized a couple of drugs for Catholics to use for birth control. Sulfa-denial and the acid drug, Noazzitol

assateague wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:

assateague wrote:

The Duck Hammer wrote:Avian influenza hits the chicken populations pretty hard during migration season. Waterfowl are a natural carrier of the disease. Its a bad deal when chickens contract it. I haven't taken diseases yet so I don't know a whole lot about it but I do know that chickens are vaccinated for it during the migration.

Do chickens migrate in the fall or spring?

During the waterfowl migration hoss.

I'm going to set up in the back pasture in April for snow goose. I checked the regs, and I can't find any restrictions on chickens, so I think I'll stake out some live decoys. Hopefully I can call in a couple flocks of broilers. Not sure about the ecallers for them, but I'm going to set up a tape recorder tomorrow morning in the coop so I'll have it, just in case. I'm gonna wear those fuckers out if they come in closer than 20 yards.

Might be on to something. White chickens as snow decoys.

I'd rather hunt chickens. They taste like chicken.

Seems like Botulism hits early with warm weather then Cholera shows up when the temperature drops. A couple years ago I heard of a Ruddy Duck die off on Clear lake that numbered in theThousands. The lake was full of dead ruddys from one end to the other .... Cute little bastards didn't stand a chance.