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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 23892
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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 Posted: Sat Jul 16, 05 7:30 am Post subject: Newcastle disease in Surrey |
 
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Sorry for the direct copy but I thought anyone in the area should know.
http://forum.rivercottage.net/about10628.html
Hopefully it will not spread but I'd suggest anyone near chickens and oter birds in the south east takes the precautions listed. |
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Gertie
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire
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| Posted: Sat Jul 16, 05 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry to hear about the disease being detected in Surrey.
The article mentions the fact that most egg-laying birds are routinely vaccinated against this disease. Ours are ex-battery, I haven't got a clue whether ours have or haven't.  |
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sean
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 37920
Location: North Devon
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| Posted: Sat Jul 16, 05 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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If they're ex battery they will almost certainly have been vaccinated. |
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JB
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7312
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| Posted: Sat Jul 16, 05 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Gertie wrote: |
| Sorry to hear about the disease being detected in Surrey. |
Slightly more worrying is that the article says the birds had just been imported from France, which suggests there could be an as yet untraced source of the disease in France and of an as yet unknown size. |
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10731
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| Posted: Sat Jul 16, 05 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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Copying my post over in case it is of any use -
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Waiting to hear back from the vet, not sure if, if birds were vaccinated young, they need top ups.
There is a little more info on Defra now, FAQs about the current outbreak and a map of the affected area - there is a "surveillance zone" which affects movement of birds in that area as far as I can tell so far. Thankfully we are not in it but obviously will be taking any precautions suggested just to be as safe as possible.
Defra FAQs:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/newcastle/newcastle-faqs.htm
Map:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/newcastle/cases/maps/day0.htm
As someone else on another site has pointed out this was first suspected a few days ago and is in a consignment of pheasants from France which *may* mean that there is a source as yet unidentified there - and there may have been other exports affected. Hope not, but it is worth people keeping eyes and ears even more open than usual. |
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 05 9:44 am Post subject: |
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if anyone is contemplating buying hens it sounds like vaccination and/or source of birds is a question that needs to be asked of the supplier |
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10731
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 05 7:25 am Post subject: |
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I have had a reply from our vet. He says a vaccine is only available in doses of 500 or 1000 for commercial poultry so to be practical it would be necessary to get together with others.
I am waiting to hear back from our breeder and have asked the vet for prices and what type of vaccine it is, and whether birds that have already been vaccinated would need to be "topped up". Any further details I will of course post up here. |
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 23892
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 05 7:30 am Post subject: |
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| Bugs wrote: |
I have had a reply from our vet. He says a vaccine is only available in doses of 500 or 1000 for commercial poultry so to be practical it would be necessary to get together with others.
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It might be worth contacting DEFRA to see if they would give it to people, or at least supply it in smaler quantities. If yo can only buy it in 500s it means small poultry producers would never be able to vacinate which seems a large risk. |
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10731
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 05 7:34 am Post subject: |
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Considering the take-off of Eglus and the fact that chicken keeping in general is "fashionable" there must be many (hundreds of?) thousands more back yard keepers than there were last time.
Unfortunately the last email I sent to Defra about something disappeared without answer or trace so I don't hold out a lot of hope but will try. |
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 23892
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 05 7:48 am Post subject: |
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You could try emailing Omlet to see if they have anything to say? |
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10731
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| Posted: Wed Jul 20, 05 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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No reply from Defra and the only response from Country Smallholding mag (asked them to post up any advice/updates info on their site) was the press release from Defra. Phoned breeder...he has some 600 hens plus waterfowl and although he does a fair bit of vaccination, not apparaently against ND. He says it can be quite difficult to vaccinate older birds, plus there are different strains, so hard to be sure, that the vaccine you can buy will be effective. He is waiting to hear back from his own vet as to what action he should take (although he is in deepest Sussex). He was very helpful but seems as in the dark as anyone.
The vet can get vaccine for £10 although someone on River Cottage says they can buy it for £1.92 I assume the £10 includes the vet's dispensing/admin fees as that is about what he charged before.
The advice on the Defra website now suggests they have tracked the cause to France (Loire Atlantique) where precautions are also being taken, and that there have been no further outbreaks/signs elsewhere in this country.
Given all that it seems the best thing to do is to wait and be careful as always. |
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Gertie
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire
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| Posted: Thu Jul 21, 05 4:53 am Post subject: |
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Don't you just hate it when things like this rear their ugly heads - I don't think we've fully recovered yet from the Foot and Mouth episode a few years ago.
Let's hope this is contained and does not spread throughout the country.
A big thank you to Bugs/Treacodactyl for bringing this to our attention and keeping us informed of vet/DEFRA recommendations. |
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