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The Original All Roller Talk Discussion Board Archive >
BIRD FLU
BIRD FLU
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steve
14 posts
Feb 25, 2006
2:40 PM
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hi everybody just want to ask you guys one question.the one hot topic which is in the news right now "BIRD FLU" yea that topic.i dont know when this will get to our amercian cousins but its getting closer to the U.K. and IRELAND.what is the plans out there if this gets to your shores.its already in france and they are taking measures to contain this.its now infected 100s of dometic turkeys which are been culled.what i would like to know as well if this spreads throughout europe what will happen to our flyers in europe planning to fly in the WORLD CUP if there is a no fly zone issued by said country`s goverment and there is a total lock down of all pigeons,how can there be a world cup.
regards steve
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Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
501 posts
Feb 25, 2006
9:28 PM
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Hey Steve, the reading I have done seems to say the bird flu is being hyped up and is not the threat we are being told it is. Seems like we get these manufactured panics every couple years, keeps money flowing into the pharmaceutical companies.
Don't worry about it too much. If some countries cannot fly, wait a year or two and their governments (and pharms) will have gone on to some other animal panic and the bird flu will have gone the way of mad cow and other such panics...
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FLY ON! Tony Chavarria
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upcd
159 posts
Feb 25, 2006
9:36 PM
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France has Bird flu.
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Tony Chavarria
Site Publisher
503 posts
Feb 25, 2006
9:55 PM
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Please be informed and read other opinions before you panic and destroy all your roller pigeons and poultry and rush out and get a flu shot from the some government with a vaccine provided by the pharmacetical companies paid for with your tax dollars! READ THIS! AND THIS!
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FLY ON! Tony Chavarria
Last Edited by Tony Chavarria on Feb 25, 2006 10:15 PM
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Shaun
293 posts
Feb 26, 2006
3:42 AM
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Tony, I read from your links there and the contents concur with others articles I've read. There is certainly much cynicism about those who stand to gain from the threat of a major outbreak.
However, as Steve says, bird flu has arrived in Europe more easily than was previously imagined and it keeps catching governments on the hop. First, it could be seen that in the Far East, it was those who actually lived with their chickens in close proximity, who caught the virus. Even when Turkey found it had an outbreak, once again, it was people who had poultry roaming in and out of the house, who caught the virus.
Other events have since taken over: This winter the east of Europe sustained a harder winter than usual. Birds which would normally have stayed put, have ventured west into warmer mainstream Europe. As mentioned, Turkey was the first to succumb; now we have a number of other countries which have found infected birds - and, these aren't developing or third world countries - they're countries like Germany, Italy and France.
What's caught people off-guard is bird flu now being found in other than wild birds. It was assumed previously that wild birds migrating south would pose the greatest risk of passing the virus onto indigenous wild birds of the countries they passed through. However, farmed turkeys is a different matter - this being the latest confirmed death from bird flu.
When Britain had BSE - mad cow disease - some years ago, the effects were devastating. The government was accused of doing too little, too late. When a teenager died of BSE (it seemed that the link was that he ate lot of beefburgers, the meat having been derived from infected cattle), there was a major outcry. There were BSE-related headlines in the media for months. The government then went completely the opposite way to its earlier 'wait and see' approach (the cynics say to say to preserve its beef export market, rather than its people) and ordered a mass destruction of cattle. Even when BSE was finally eradicated, our wary 'friends' across the water, the French, illegally refused to import British Beef for quite some time.
So, the question now being asked is what lessons have been learned and what will happen this time around? First, it seems that the government has recognised what happened to the beef industry and is in no great hurry to order mass destruction of poultry. What we've had so far is that, in the event of an outbreak, there's likely to be an instruction to keep poultry and tame birds indoors. But, even that prospect is raising the hackles of the free-range poultry producers, whose birds are necessarily reared outside.
Despite what the government says it is likely to do, matters are usually dictated by the public reaction to the media headlines. So, we have to wait and see - first, for the first infected bird in the UK, then the public reaction.
From the pigeon flying perspective, one of our national pigeon associations (for all fancy breeds), strongly suggested a lock-down of all birds from last autumn. I took this up with DEFRA (our government body). It said, no such lock-down had been suggested. I was bloody annoyed. How dare a pigeon body make up its own rules by issuing an abitrary instruction which hadn't originated from the government. Suffice to say that flyers kept flying and, so far, there's been no government instruction to keep birds locked up. Bird shows, however, have been cancelled since last autumn.
From what I've read about the pigeon implications (and it's worth mentioning, given the public's impression of them as vermin - pigeons are not considered a bird either likely to carry the infection, or pass it on), if and when bird flu hits Britain, it's likely that locking up our pigeons will be one of the first instructions - indeed, that has happened already in countries such as France.
From a roller perspective, not flying isn't catastrophic, but it will be a real pain. Young birds ready for training won't be flown unless/until the panic has died down. When finally let out, they could be useless.
Personally, for now, I've decided not to breed in the big numbers this year, that I had anticipated, as the last thing I want is to be told to keep them locked up indefinitely.
Shaun
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jord
58 posts
Feb 26, 2006
4:07 AM
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lads i must admit ime a bit woried about BIRD FLU its getting a bit close to england now but i checked out the NPA site and it gives all the info needid. might be werth checking out.
JORD
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steve
16 posts
Feb 27, 2006
2:48 PM
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hi i posted a serious topic 48hrs ago about bird flu and guess what only 7 posts and 2 of them where mine.its quite obvious to me that because it doesnt affect most of you on here or you all are not concerned and think the problem is just going to go away and its not in USA .well let me say this problem is not going away and this will come to all shores in the near furture.this has affected all pigeon fanciers in france causing a total no fly and will be reviewed in May,a long time away eh.So can i ask this question again what plans if any are in place if euorpe has a total no fly zone for pigeons can you see the world cup taken place.
regards steve
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J_Star
276 posts
Feb 28, 2006
6:59 AM
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So Steve what do want us to do? Panic!! In my opinion, I will worry about it when it gets here; otherwise, I will not worry about it for the time being because the last thing I want on my mind is to worry about everything that I think is not going to go well in my life. What I am trying to say is most people are not as worrisome as others.
Best of luck...
Jay
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Shaun
296 posts
Feb 28, 2006
8:00 AM
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At this point, there's not much the man on the street can do, regardless of where they come from. The questions need to go much higher up; it's the powers that be who will ultimately tell us what to do and when to do it.
Shaun
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siddiqir
145 posts
Feb 28, 2006
9:08 AM
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Well said Shaun. This is an issue and at the moment nothing can be done
In summary, I would hate to lose rollers. Have read few articles on net guiding people to stay away from live stock market/places. If it comes to US I know my neighbors will complain and probably I will end up having no birds.
Last Edited by siddiqir on Feb 28, 2006 9:08 AM
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Alohazona
117 posts
Feb 28, 2006
9:10 AM
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Tony,
Here in the 50th state,we have had an imbargo on shipping birds through postal mail,and a restriction through air cargo[extra cost,paperwork]as you know.This all stemmed from the West Nile scare.Three solid years later,we are no closer to getting these bans lifted than when they were originally introduced,and not one reported case.I think once bans are put in place,it will take an act of GOD to lift them.....Aloha,Todd
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C.J.
23 posts
Feb 28, 2006
10:50 AM
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Hi Shaun
I am afraid that this attitude of it can’t touch our beloved pigeons isn’t quite true. Shaun I am not attacking you personally just questioning where you get your facts. Every time something negative or potentially harmful comes along everyone says oh pigeons are immune. Well I say where are the facts to back this stance. Not just some guy in an article shooting his mouth off either. I am talking actual scientific research that shows pigeons are immune. I feel if they were immune researchers would be using them to study why they were. My stance on this is that in fact our birds can carry this flu ( like every other bird) is as follows; Here in Canada we had an incidence where some birds ( Homers) from here that were being sent to Australia. When they arrived they were tested and by Australian officials and tested positive for antibodies of a bird flu. What this means is that they had contracted a flu and got over it, but nun the less they did contract a flu. I know some of you guys are going to say oh that was a different type yes may be it was but my point is that they DID contract a flu. This means they are susceptible to illnesses such as bird flu. For more information on this article visit http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200510/1487168.htm But I do agree that the bird flu issue is blown way out of proportion. The media tries to make us believe that it is only a matter of time until it reaches a pandemic where tons of us die. To me this is bunk, I do agree that some of us may get ill and pass away but I think you have just as great a chance of being hit by a bus. A bigger concern for me is that it could take large numbers of tame and wild birds a like. I don't believe it is going to wipe out all birds, I feel that the hysteria of the government officials will in the end kill more birds than the actual flu does. a lot of the birds that contract this will die but a lot will get over it if they are let live and the flu let run its course. I think that Steve has a valid point and we should all be some what concerned. If for no other reason than the hype that all of the media is creating. The majority of the public is not going to take the time and research the actual number of people who are infected and die from this or how they actually contracted this flu. They will make the judgement call on what the media tells them. Proof of this is in France recently when the birds there were being culled. The market for chicken and other poultry were hurt severely because people stopped purchasing the meat. Even when they were told that they couldn’t contract this illness from bird meat that had been cooked they still boycotted it. this to me is ridiculous come on people educate your self it is your best defence. Don't just sit with your heads in the sand. What happens when they come for our birds? What are each and everyone of us planning on doing. I personally am going to be in trouble. I have six chicken farms within a five mile radius of my house. I have to drive past three of them to get to and from my home. Do I honestly think that when it happens to one of these farms that they aren’t going to come to my home? Not a chance I probably will see them coming but I have set in motion the wheels to protect my lifes long love and family of birds. I have put thirty years into this family and have no intention of losing this them. What I have done is this. I have several people some of who I am related to that have my birds. My parents live in another city and I have set them up with great birds. When I go there I coach my mom and she helps me pair my birds and sticks to the same breeding program I am on. I also have others that owe me birds from my family. So because I have helped get others into this great hobby I will be o.k. when and if it ever rears its ugly head in my neck of the woods.
So Steve I hear your dilemma buddy and my prayers are with you. I just hope that you have done enough taking care of your own that when it is all over you won’t be left without birds you will be able to count on the people you have helped out.
Just My Two Cents!!
C.J.
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upcd
161 posts
Feb 28, 2006
11:07 AM
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Bird flu, West Nile, New Castle. We have made it through 2 of these diseases with out lossing our birds. We can't ship birds like we once did. We have to biuld our coops with smaller holes so bugs can't get in and bite the birds. I you have said,"Nieghbors and panic could be our undoing." I don't want to see my birds hurt in any way. I love my hobby. It will be a sad day when my birds are gone. But by God's Grace and Mercy I can be passover like I was for the other diseases. All we can do is be informed and pray.
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J_Star
277 posts
Feb 28, 2006
11:40 AM
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If it comes to it, people lives are more imporatant than a hobby or beloved birds. I will cull all except a few well proven breeders and hide them in the basement of my house. If the wife cryes about it, then I will fix me a bed next to them. hah...
Jay
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Shaun
297 posts
Feb 28, 2006
2:37 PM
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C.J. I can only do what others should do and that's arm myself with as much information as possible. I've read a number of articles which included pieces about the relationship between avian flu and pigeons. The information therein wasn't provided for the benefit of pigeon fanciers, but more to answer anxieties from the general public, who feel that pigeons are an obvious threat as potential bird flu carriers, given the large numbers of feral birds in most cities the world over. I'm no scientist but there was a consensus that pigeons were not considered to be in the same league as poultry when it comes to avian flu. This doesn't mean there's no danger from them; they're just not as yet considered a high risk group. Should that situation change, I'm sure we'll all get to know. The latest news is that a cat from Germany has been found to have the virus, so anything's possible.
Shaun
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