H5N1: Avian Flu

Well folks it's here. I know people are suffering from Covid Fatigue and since January we have been shouting from the rooftops about avian flu.

What is it? 

It's highly pathogenic, which means, it spreads quickly. It's highly contagious. This is H5N1 and is the Eurasian Strain. It's carried by wild birds as they migrate and travel from yard to yard, pond to pond.

What does it affect?

All birds. It can present as a a respiratory illness or sudden death. As we know, prey animals work hard to not show symptoms of weakness until they can't hide them anymore. Your birds will stop drinking and get very quiet. It can also make a jump to humans, but right now we're not worried about that. Let's focus on our birds.

What are the risks?

Your flock. Your neighbors flock. Your pets. The government will destroy your entire flock if your birds test positive. As someone who just lost her dog of 14 years, I personally cannot handle another loss of my pets.

What is it not?

I'm all for a great conspiracy theory. I enjoy reading about how the earth is hollow, there's a secret society controlling everyone on the planet, birds aren't real, etc. THIS IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY. The government lost billions the last time this happened in 2016. 

Ok...so how do we handle this?

Say it with me now. BIOSECURITY

Biosecurity is the practice of keeping out germs and pathogens from your folk but also in your life. You have been practicing (hopefully) biosecurity for yourself your entire life. Wash your hands after using the bathroom, don't pick your nose, if you sneeze or cough cover your mouth, sanitize your house, clean up dust...you get the point. These are the beginnings of biosecurity that we teach to help humans keep from getting sick.

Guess what? These apply to your backyard flocks.

Well Rai, this is going to be expensive. Nope. It doesn't have to be. None of this needs to be Pinterest level flock down. No one has time for it and hopefully some of these extreme measures will be temporary. It's time for farming or redneck engineering. Every single one of us has a unique situation when it comes to our set ups. No one is the same. So you will have to get creative.

You want your run to be covered and free from wild birds. You can use tarps, umbrellas, whatever you have to cover your run. We don't want wild bird poop or dander in our runs. That's an easy way to start. Your birds will need to enter flock down. That means no free range. I have hardware cloth on the bottom of my run, but it's not really covered. I've limited where my girls can go in their run for now and they only have access to where it's covered. I have hawk netting that's attached to my hardware cloth. However, I purchased inexpensive bird netting to go on top of that. You can use chicken wire, you can use that. I did have to take my netting down because of the wind storms that rolled through here. But it's going back up.

Zip ties are your best friend. Seriously. My run area looks like something from M.A.S.H. for those of you old enough to remember that!

My feeders and waterers are wild bird proof. If you have a wild bird proof run, then this will be less of an issue. But I hate mice and don't want pests in my run at all, so mine are wild bird proof (nipple drinkers and treadle feeders). 

I also have Camp Clucker, which is the tent set up I have in my house for the girls. That's another article for another time.

Let's talk clothes and shoes

One of my students was playing on the floor one day not far from the bathrooms. I asked him if he really wanted to be on the floor there, especially since his face was on the tiles. He looked at me like I was crazy until I reminded him that people walk into the bathroom. They track all the germs and nastiness on their shoes to other parts of the building. Yup this applies to backyard poultry too. 

Let's face it. Caring for animals is not about fashion at all. But knowing how to use your clothes for biosecurity is helpful. For example I have shoes that are just for my coop area. I had to tighten up by scraping the shoes and dipping them in a solution of equal parts water and bleach. Dip only works if you have scraped off any poop or mud from your shoes. Some people use hospital booties if they are going from coop to coop. 

I have coop only clothing. These are my old barn clothes, and they are...loved to say the least. I only wear these clothes in my run. I don't want to track in wild bird poop, dander, or even a virus from a feed store. I hit up a feed store only on my way home from work. Why? I heard the best tip, wear your fancy clothes and shoes to the feed store. You won't be taking them out to your chicken run. 

What happens if I have a sick bird?

You can get your birds tested. 

If a bird dies, you should send it for a necropsy. Your state has laboratories dedicated to this. I'll include Maryland's info at the end of this article.

What else can I do to protect my flock?

Have a closed flock. Don't bring people over to chill with your birds.

Don't bring your birds to feed stores.

Don't go to poultry swaps. 

Don't bring in new birds without an extensive quarantine. 

Only purchase from NPIP. 

Document everything with photos, time stamps, etc. 

Follow everything they suggest on defend the flock 

Wash your hands.

Resources:

Defend the Flock: USDA Biosecurity Recommendations

USDA APHIS: H5N1 

Maryland Dept. of Agriculture: Report Sick Birds

USDA Biosecurity Recommendations

MD Biosecurity Recommendations

What your Chickens NEED for winter

Winter...over here in the Land of Pleasant Living, winter is a mixed bag of bipolar weather. It can be a beautiful 60-70F/15-21C  or it can be a Polar Vortex of weather in single digits with 6 feet of snow on the ground. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy aspects of winter, but mostly it's depressing and gray.

This will be my first winter with chickens. I have done a lot research on HOW to winterize my coop and prepare. I'll share what I know and what I will do. I will update as things seem easier or if I think I need to change to deal with an issue.

Coop

Oh the coop. In summer, we want all the ventilation. In winter we still need ventilation, but drafts are an issue. Ventilation allows for ammonia and moisture to escape. Usually this is located in the upper parts of your coop. Drafts are usually found lower on the floor and can move the belly feathers of our chickens. This can make them very sick and prone to respiratory infections. 

Here is a video that's helpful for looking for drafts. I'm lucky my coop doesn't have many and that I can use sand to block them up.

An acrylic sheet covers our windows

Our windows will be covered with plastic acrylic sheets ( but we have holes in it at the top for ventilation). This will allow for the moisture and ammonia from the poop to exit the coop without taking away too much heat. The acrylic is clear so it will allow light to come into the coop and give a gentle warming effect. If you see moisture on your windows, then you don't have enough ventilation in your coop. Moisture and drafts are the enemy. Moisture causes frostbite! (Check out this resource for more information about frostbite)You don't want your roosts too close to the windows. That temperature shift can hurt them while sleeping. 

Really quick while it's on your mind...roosts. Chickens like FLAT roosts, not round. A 2x4 that is flat with the 4" side up is a great roost for them. The flat roosts allow them to fully cover their feet while sleeping. It can help protect the feet from frostbite. 

Radiant Heater

Heater. It's very strange in my state. Some winters it's in the single digits or below. Some winters are very mild and pleasant. However, I think this year we might be in for snow, because 2020. Sometimes it's a dusting...sometimes it's Snowmagedon with 6-8 feet of snow. We never know what we're in for. The heater is for if the girls get wet. Wet birds are more likely to get sick and die. Remember moister is the enemy. A wet bird will bring that into your coop. You want that to evaporate as quickly as possible. The heater I bought was from Tractor Supply. It's a radiant heater/brooder combo. You don't want the coop to be too warm. Your birds will need to acclimate to the cooler weather. A heater and keeping the coop a cozy 60F/15C when it's in the 20F/-6C outside is not a good idea. You'll have birds staying in the coop and pooping in the coop. Not only do you have to worry about the ammonia fumes, but they aren't eating and calories are needed in winter. 

Nest Box

We are putting up nest box curtains. This will keep drafts out of the nest box while the girls are laying. It will allow to keep the heat a bit more regular as well. The nest box on our coop sticks out away from it and has about a foot of clearance from the ground. Pretty soon I will go in and fill in any cracks with some caulk. There are a few since I can see the light coming through. 

The Run

The run should be covered with a roof. This prevents snow and freezing rain to get onto the birds. Freezing rain can kill a chicken, so beware of this. The food should be in your run (NOT YOUR COOP unless you want rodents, because that's how you get rodents). The waterer should be in your run. You don't want moisture in your coop. Now...I don't know how many of you have hauled frozen buckets before. I used to break horses and caring for them in winter was a bear. Frozen water buckets weigh a ton and are just awful to deal with. Get a heated waterer. Some waterers are better than others. I know the little cups freeze. Nipple drinkers are great, but can freeze unless heated. We have a Premier 1 Poultry Nipple Drinker. It's heated. That was my first requirement for the girls. It's not cheap, but I HATE frozen buckets. It's nice in the summer too because the insulation helps keep the water cool.  We will be wrapping part of the run with a tarp if it gets cold and windy. Painters plastic works as well. Breaking the wind is a good idea because it will mess with how the chickens fluff themselves to trap warm air in their feathers. 

As winter approaches I will update what I do. We had a day that was 80F/26C. It was so hot and uncomfortable that we had to remove a lot of our winterization items. I will also update you as we find other things that work!

Broody Chickens

I had someone ask me questions on Instagram about topics to write about. One of the topics was broodiness in a flock without a rooster. I thought to myself oh my, we don't have breeds that typically go broody...except Luna. Luna is a Copper Marans x Cream Legbar. Marans are known for being broody and Legbars are not. Little did I know that Artemis, my sweet and cheerful Cream Legbar, would be the first hen to go broody in my flock.

I found Artemis to be broody when collecting eggs. She got all spikey and GROWLED at me. For those of you who have followed us for awhile, you have seen me rock Artemis to sleep. Growling is the last thing she would normally do. I had to go to my second job, but when the Bearded Claw came home he checked on her. She did the same thing to him. Hours later, I came home from work and set up the breaker.

Update: We were able to break Artemis in 3 days. It was easy to see that she wasn't ready because of the noises she was making. She was also not behaving like her sweet self. Having Artemis growl at me wasn't normal for her. I did floof her breast feathers a bit just to put cooler air under her. She did come round quick. Since we broke her, she hasn't laid eggs, but this is normal. She should return to laying once her hormones regulate themselves.

Artemis, the Cream Legbar is broody

Ever since I knew getting chickens was a reality, I researched everything I could. I would pour over books and forums trying to absorb as much as possible. There is SO MUCH GARBAGE OUT THERE! I found the blog of the Chicken Chick. I liked her no nonsense approach. To me, she is very practical. I will tell you about her method in a minute. She was part of why I was inspired to create this blog. I wanted to give advice based on what we have at the moment and could be used by people around the world, not just America. 

So onto the Broody Hen...

What NOT to do

Artemis is an angry, puffy pancake

Broodiness is created by hormones. It's baby fever so to speak. All that is on a broody hen's mind is to hatch eggs. A broody hen will sit...and sit...and sit. This means that she is not eating or drinking like she should. She will only get up to grab a quick drink, a small bite to eat, and to poop. This is like once a day. A broody hen can lose up to 20% of their body weight. It's not healthy and it's super hard on their bodies. They are susceptible to parasites, infections, and illness in their weakened state. THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS LET A BROODY HEN SIT WITH NO CHANCE OF HATCHING EGGS!

Don't chase her out of the nest box. She will go back. Baby fever causes one track minds! It will stress your bird even more.

Don't dunk her in cold water. Don't stick frozen things under her. Chickens' bodies are 105-107F (40.6-41.7 C). How cruel is that?

What you can do

If you do decide to let your broody hatch eggs, label the eggs so you know how long they've been under her. 21 days is the period it takes to hatch an egg, don't let her sit too much longer than that. REMEMBER HOW STRESSFUL THIS IS ON THEIR BODIES.

You can graft day old chicks to the broody. What this means is that you will slip baby chicks under her while she's sleeping so she thinks she hatched her eggs. This doesn't always work. We know many that want to be mothers, and aren't cut out for it. Be prepared to raise the chicks yourself if the broody attacks or abandons the chicks. You will have to use day old chicks, broody hens won't always accept slightly older ones.

The Broody Breaker Method and what we are trying

The Chicken Chick recommends immediately breaking up a broody hen if hatching eggs isn't going to happen. She recommends placing the broody hen in a dog kennel or rabbit hutch with a wire bottom floor to allow the hen to cool her brood patch. This is called the Broody Breaker.

Artemis and Luna in Club Med: Broody Breaker

I don't have a rabbit hutch or dog crate with a wire bottom. I have my med tent. It's a foldable dog kennel that I have for emergencies. 

I brought Artemis in last night in the dark. I put her in the med tent with Luna. I was worried about reintegration later and stressing her more by being alone. There is a perch, food, and water. They are in my office and I am going in and out of the room on a regular basis and I have left the lights on in the room. I can tell Artemis is still broody this morning, she's doing that weird growl and puffing up still. It's cute to see her temper tantrum. I'm hoping to put her back in the flock in a day or so. We will see. I will update as this unfolds!

Update: We were able to break Artemis in 3 days. It was easy to see that she wasn't ready because of the noises she was making. She was also not behaving like her sweet self. Having Artemis growl at me wasn't normal for her. I did floof her breast feathers a bit just to put cooler air under her. She did come round quick. Since we broke her, she hasn't laid eggs, but this is normal. She should return to laying once her hormones regulate themselves.

To read about the Chicken Chick's Method: https://the-chicken-chick.com/broody-breaker-when-hens-mood-to-hatch/

Sources: Backyard Chickens Forum, The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow, The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens by Kathy Shea Mormino , Google....and I don't want to credit the websites who are giving that terrible advice...just know that there's a lot of nonsense to sift through.

Determined to stop being broody

Welcome to the Covid Cluckers

 Welcome to our blog! We are the Covid Cluckers. We are chickens being raised in the times of Covid-19. 

Our owners purchased us before the mandatory stay at home orders occurred. They were worried about a viable food source since grocery stores were empty. The overreaction of so many people are the reason we came to be. What our owners didn't realize, was that we were more than a food source. We have helped them every day since our arrival. 

Our owners have worked very hard to research all things chicken. They will be sharing practical tips for raising chickens and just humorous stories of us in general. We want to help you sort through all the garbage advice out there. We know so many of these blogs give random and sometimes cruel advice that is harmful to your flock. We want to make sure that we are inclusive of other countries and their resources besides America. 

Many of you are here from Instagram. We refer to our owners as The Claw and The Bearded Claw.  When we were in the brooder, all we saw coming for us was a claw. That's it. No fancy story, just the Claw. 

Because we don't have thumbs or any way of actually typing (we have tried!) The Claw will be documenting our journey and any tips we find along the way.  Hopefully, you will find what we have to offer useful. 

Enjoy our blog!

The Covid Cluckers and Claws