Do I really have to keep them in?

[Hairyhat]

For 30 days?
I have too chickens. Rescued from a horrible farm where they were shut in. I really really don't want to lock them up again for 30 days. It feels cruel. Am I risking their lives only? Or is there any danger to humans/other birds/pets?

Can't see that it would get too warm at this time of year. they'll probably love the extra warmth

Brilliant, thanks atticus! Will get one of those now. Thank goodness for Argos same day delivery!

Please can anyone tell me if this sort of coop is safe as long as they're not allowed out into the garden? I don't need to add extra coverage or lock them in their nesting box, right?

OK, can anyone give me advice about what I should do?
I have 2 runner ducks who have always freeranged, never slept indoors (they came with the house).
I have various possibilities for housing them. 1. Brick outbuilding with small window

1. Eglu with run, I can put a tarp over the run to exclude wild birds and put it on grass but it will only just be tall enough for them to stand
2. Wooden octagonal summerhouse with lots of windows. Bit reluctant as I think they would probably trash the floor - I could maybe put down a tarp and then thick layer of straw.

Wwyd in my position? I am not a huge duck expert, have had chickens but just took these on as previous owner felt it would be kinder than rehoming.

Id put clear plastic sheeting around that Mam. Wild birds could get right up to the sides.

Countess I know nothing about ducks other than that they need a bowl of water to paddle in but personally would go with 1. Hopefully a duck person will be along soon

Symptoms:

swollen head
blue discolouration of neck and throat
loss of appetite
respiratory distress such as gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, gurgling, rattling
diarrhoea
fewer eggs laid
increased mortality

I'm in Wales so I'm hoping that I'm ok to let mine stay in their fenced outdoor area as the exclusion zone doesn't apply here. I have two eglus and definitely can't keep them shut in there for a month.

Ok, I had no idea this had been issued and mine free range!
If I hadn't read this thread I would have just carrie don as usual.

I have a similar run to Mamushkas, only quite a lot bigger, so they don't really need to be near the edge. The wire is very small, so no birds can get through can get inside, and I never see wild birds near it.
There is no where else and I can't tarp it as it is too big

Will go and shut them in the run now and read the guidelines.

The guidelines now apply to Wales and Scotland too.

I didn't hear of this until I arrived at work today so my ladies are already out but as of tonight they will be in until January 6th. If it's go to be it's got to be.

Just put clear plastic around it steppe. Otherwise they have to be indoors.

I can't do anything till dh comes back with some straw. And possibly some plastic sheeting for my lovely summerhouse. And helps me catch them!

My brick outhouses feel really damp and unhealthy, I have just been checking them out

All I can see on the DEFRA website is that it covers England. Bugger. The runs are too small for them.

tygr I thought so too at first.

gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/ahw/disease/avianflu/?lang=en

Mine were all let out this morning too before I heard the news - we have about 40 of various parentage and size which cram themselves into the 3 smallest houses at night despite having 6 to choose from ( including 2 big enough to house 30 birds each! ) -will be shutting them in tonight when they've gone to roost then dividing them between the 2 largest houses and leaving them shut in until the weekend when I can get a run built - the girls usually have free run of the garden and surrounding fields so they are going to be pretty pissed off by the time January comes

I have another question, Eglu related rather than duck specific.
The Eglu run is normally on grass, and then you move it every week or so when it becomes too pooey. Trying to be conscientious here, should I avoid moving the run, or even cover some ground with a plastic sheet to exclude birds for a while before moving the run onto it? Could the ducks catch bird flu from being on ground that has had wild birds on it, do you think? Or am I overthrowing?!

I have just been holding up the Eglu run end panel against the ducks and size-wise I think they will be OK, at least for a month.

Overthinking.

Right I will be off to Argos to get a poly tunnel thingy then sweet talking my OH into building a run for them

3 birds - free range in a roughly 7 x 7m area. 1 sleeps in the hen house & 2 in a bush.
Options are;

• wooden shed, window on one side (average household shed size, full of average household shed stuff). Would need clearing out but is an option, would they need extra lighting?
• single garage, again with a window. Annoying to have to use it as I put my car away if it's freezing and also general garage things in there, plus bikes which ds2 uses to get to school so the door is opened & shut regularly - I suppose I could corner off an area including the door that they can't get to which would allow us easier access. Again, would they need extra light? Lighting is motion activated so if I leave it on it will be off and on whenever they move.
• conservatory. Not really in use during the winter and just a tiled floor, but it is open to the kitchen so I'd need some kind of barrier between the two. And it puts it out of use over Christmas.

I can move the hen house to whichever option so they can sleep there, will have to be after its dark tonight though as I won't be able to catch them.
Do they need anything on the floor?

I'm leaning towards garage with a sectioned off area around the door.

I would be thinking about the floors, how easily mucked out it will be and how easily cleaned when you let them out again in January. You would want a nice deep layer of something if it's a concrete floor.

I'll be moving mine into the garage, I'll cover the floor with plastic sheeting and then aubiose which is really good as the poo is easy to remove. At least it will stop the most stubborn of my hens from laying eggs around the bloody garden.

the stupid thing is, I only know about this because of this thread. Had radio 4 on for several hours this am, and nothing there.

Looking at the guideline, the issue is wild bird pooh. So if the run is taurped over the top, they shouldn't come into contact with wild bird pooh. The guidelines do also say that they shoudl be in houses or if that is not possible runs which are netted to keep wild birds out.

Me too Steppemum, this thread and Facebook at the same moment.

Does anyone understand why this is happening now, so suddenly? Has there been a big outbreak somewhere? Or is it because this is the peak time of year for it and they are trying to break the cycle by stopping it now?

There is an outbreak on the continent, Countess. As it is spread by wild birds and obviously birds fly, there is a risk of infected birds making it across the channel, although there are no UK cases yet. It's very contagious and a terrible thing - if this is diagnosed on a poultry farm, they put down all the birds on the farm, as well as sometimes those on neighbouring farms preventatively. Despite this it often still spreads like wildfire because you can't control the movement of wild birds.

I'm sure having to go indoors isn't nice for anyone's pet chickens but it's really for the best, both for their own sake and for other birds. No one wants avian flu to spread.