There are growing concerns among individuals who own backyard chickens about how to keep them safe amid the Avian Flu. Backyard chicken owners should be taking extra steps to make sure their flocks don't get infected, according to Maurice Pitesky, an associate professor in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "We have a lot of people that have backyard chickens, which I'm fully supportive of, but I think those people need to be very cautious as they interact with their birds," Pitesky said. "I think in addition to wearing dedicated clothing that we don't bring outside when we work with our chickens, I think people that work with backyard chickens also need to start wearing, at the minimum, a surgical mask just to protect their face from any aerosols that might be generated."He said it's important for backyard coops to have strong fencing with a cover over the top to protect them from other wild animals who may be carrying the virus."The fancy word we use is biosecurity, and that's just physically separating our domestic animals like our chickens from any kind of wild animals," he said. "You have ducks and geese that are flying overhead or that are interfacing with the habitat that is surrounding someone's backyard."Pitesky said that if one of your chickens is infected then they will likely not be producing eggs. So, when it comes to humans contracting the disease, he said eggs are not necessarily a big concern. "We don't worry so much about eggs per say. I think the worry, because it's a respiratory virus, the two places that birds will shed virus if they are infected is through respiratory effluent and through their feces," Pitesky said. Greg Howes lives in Sacramento and has two of his own backyard chickens. He said he is taking extra precautions to keep his flock safe, and is hoping others will do the same. "It is very much a concern here in the Sacramento area. This is a waterfowl flyway. We can hear the geese at night. Just heard them a little while ago. It's their droppings that can spread it," Howes said. "It's really important that we kind of step up our game as backyard flock keepers to help with this."He recommends keeping your chickens in an enclosed run with fencing and a cover. "A solid cover over it, so that droppings like we talked about from wild birds cannot get in," he said. "We don't want wild birds getting in close to the chickens and or their feed and water."He also emphasized that now is not a good time for individuals with backyard chickens to add to their flock. To report an unusual number of sick or dead birds, you can call the Sick Bird Hotline at 866-922-2473.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
There are growing concerns among individuals who own backyard chickens about how to keep them safe amid the Avian Flu.
Backyard chicken owners should be taking extra steps to make sure their flocks don't get infected, according to Maurice Pitesky, an associate professor in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
"We have a lot of people that have backyard chickens, which I'm fully supportive of, but I think those people need to be very cautious as they interact with their birds," Pitesky said. "I think in addition to wearing dedicated clothing that we don't bring outside when we work with our chickens, I think people that work with backyard chickens also need to start wearing, at the minimum, a surgical mask just to protect their face from any aerosols that might be generated."
He said it's important for backyard coops to have strong fencing with a cover over the top to protect them from other wild animals who may be carrying the virus.
"The fancy word we use is biosecurity, and that's just physically separating our domestic animals like our chickens from any kind of wild animals," he said. "You have ducks and geese that are flying overhead or that are interfacing with the habitat that is surrounding someone's backyard."
Pitesky said that if one of your chickens is infected then they will likely not be producing eggs. So, when it comes to humans contracting the disease, he said eggs are not necessarily a big concern.
"We don't worry so much about eggs per say. I think the worry, because it's a respiratory virus, the two places that birds will shed virus if they are infected is through respiratory effluent and through their feces," Pitesky said.
Greg Howes lives in Sacramento and has two of his own backyard chickens. He said he is taking extra precautions to keep his flock safe, and is hoping others will do the same.
"It is very much a concern here in the Sacramento area. This is a waterfowl flyway. We can hear the geese at night. Just heard them a little while ago. It's their droppings that can spread it," Howes said. "It's really important that we kind of step up our game as backyard flock keepers to help with this."
He recommends keeping your chickens in an enclosed run with fencing and a cover.
"A solid cover over it, so that droppings like we talked about from wild birds cannot get in," he said. "We don't want wild birds getting in close to the chickens and or their feed and water."
He also emphasized that now is not a good time for individuals with backyard chickens to add to their flock.
To report an unusual number of sick or dead birds, you can call the Sick Bird Hotline at 866-922-2473.