Avian Influenza is most commonly known as bird flu. It was one of my initial fears of owning chickens because all you hear about on the news is how people get sick with bird flu from their chickens. However, after knowing the symptoms you’ll be able to put that fear to rest.
You need to know how to act quickly if you are afraid your backyard birds have come in contact with it.
The signs you will notice will include respiratory troubles. Your chickens will quit laying. They will probably develop diarrhoea. You may notice swelling in your chicken’s face and that their comb and wattle are discoloured or have turned blue.
And they may even develop dark red spots on their legs and combs.
Unfortunately, there is no vaccine and the chickens infected will always be carriers. Wild animals can even carry the disease from bird to bird.
Once your birds get this disease, they need to be put down and the carcass destroyed. And you will need to sanitize any area that the birds were in before ever introducing a new flock.
Use great caution because this disease can make humans sick.
And here is a great resource about avian influenza for all backyard chicken keepers. Hopefully, this will help to put your mind at rest about this disease and your backyard flock.
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