Lockdown – Continued
Jonathan & Denise: It was a month ago – at the beginning of December, that the news came that an outbreak of Avian Flu [Bird Flu] – which had already caused a great deal of loss in continental Europe – had reached our shores. The order soon came that all poultry was to be kept indoors or by other means entirely segregated from wild birds. The order applied in every part of Great Britain [that’s Scotland, England and Wales] and for 30 days. Unfortunately, during that time, there’s been wild birds found dead across the UK in which Avian Flue has been found, and sporadic outbreaks amongst poultry flocks. These flocks have been destroyed by the authorities, and biosecurity zones set up around the site of the outbreak. Compliance amongst back-garden keepers, small-holders [homesteaders in the US?] and – as we’ve seen with our own eyes – Hebridean crofters, has been far from complete. So it was no great surprise that, a few days ago, just before the 30-day lock-down was due to end, the authorities extended it until the end of February – another two months.
One Welsumer hen escaped when I opened the henhouse door. I caught her settling down for a dust-bath!
We’ve seen on Facebook that many backyard, croft and small-scale producers in the Highlands and Islands (and, presumably, elsewhere) are very unhappy about this, citing as concerns the welfare of their poultry, loss of egg production, additional work and cost ; some claim that the government was acting only to protect big commercial producers. However our experience has been that keeping our birds indoors has had only marginal negative effects. Others have reported their birds stopping laying entirely, or becoming ill. Many seem to blame the lock-down order for this, but the harsh truth is that their housing almost certainly doesn’t meet the required legal standards for welfare.
Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens [Scotland 2012]
Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens [Scotland 2014 Supplement TN662]
[We produce below the 350-bird threshold for mandatory registration as an egg producer, and because we sell only from the ‘farm gate’, we don’t (and aren’t allowed to) designate our eggs as free-range or whatever. But that’s the standard we adhere to, voluntarily.]
European and UK law requires all poultry keepers – whether they have four birds or four hundred thousand, to be prepared to contain their flock in case of an outbreak of avian flu or other disease – and still comply with statutory welfare requirements. This is not something just thought up for the current circumstances! The law has always required us to be prepared.
Croft (Welsumer) hen house. Isle of Eriskay (June 2016)
But, as there has never, until now, been a nation-wide, no-exception lock-down of this kind, few back-yard keepers and small-scale producers seem to have taken these rules seriously – if indeed they were aware of them at all. Most seem to have contented themselves with poultry housing and runs that simply do not comply with the regulations, with the welfare of their birds is absolutely dependent on them spending most of their time out and about. We have, with our own eyes – here in Uist, seen numerous small flocks out and about without any attempt at containing them – or perhaps any concern to do so.
With J’s background in civil engineering, building, construction etc, it was inevitable that our two poultry houses – one adapted from an old byre, the other purpose-built – would be the result of detailed scrutiny of codes of practice – not just in relation to the building itself, but also regarding the welfare of the livestock. (These codes of practice are not hard to find online, yet few seem to be aware of them, many profess ignorance, or claim that they don’t apply to pet chickens.)
Until relatively recently there were four standards of welfare for laying hens: Caged ; Enhanced-Caged ; Barn ; Free-Range. The first of these – Caged (aka Battery) is – thank heavens – now consigned to history (in the UK, certainly), and the second is also being phased out. Barn standard differs from Free-Range only with regard to access to the outside (the free-range bit!): the standard of housing is exactly the same.
Croft (Welsumer) hen house. Isle of Eriskay
So, our two poultry houses were designed and built to comply with the Barn/Free-Range standard, so that in the event of anything preventing the birds going outside (even if just our commonplace Hebridean winter storms!), they could be kept indoors and still comply with offical welfare requirements, at very least for Barn egg standard.
The buildings and their internal layout is arranged so as to achieve the maximum possible number of birds according to the Barn/Free-Range standard. (It will depend on the specifics, but there’s usually one design feature that sets the upper limit: for our big hen house on the croft it’s the area of litter ; for our small hen house here in the walled garden it’s the total length of perch-rail.) We then take that regulation-based maximum and reduce it by one third to set our own voluntary maximum number of chickens to be accommodated in that house – a 50% increase in space per bird! We also voluntarily add something else to make life as pleasant as possible – light. That’s natural light, from windows. We’re generous with ventilation too: not only to to ensure the house has fresh air and dust is removed, but low level air flow to ensure that their litter and droppings are thoroughly dry except in the most persistently damp weather.
The lock-down has however put both of the houses to a thorough test. Winters here in Uist are not cold (frost is a rarity!) but they are frequently damp and sometimes very windy. In the hen-houses, it’s the damp that’s the problem, and – being just a few metres from the sea – it can be a clinging damp that’s impossible to eliminate, other than by a change in the weather.
The big chicken house on the croft (which currently has about 60 Welsumer hens and cockerels – there’ll be more by summer) has a timber structure raised up over the dry-stone walls of an old byre, resulting in a highly permeable construction. Ventilation is not a problem, generally: it is only in the most persistently dreich days that the litter on the floor turns damp and sticky. Normally, it’s dry, friable, odour-free and easy to scrape or even sweep up. There is, however, a short-coming that has become apparent as a result of the lock-down. Whilst there are windows – one in each gable, the house is not light enough. Yes, the birds have detected that the days are now lengthening, but the laying rate is less than half we’d expect for the number of birds and the time of year. It’s also – at this time of year – never light enough to be sure cleaning is thorough. Solution: the mains electricity cable we’re now installing, which will allow us to provide supplemental lighting. We’ll also be adding another window – in the door.
Garden (Buff Orpington) hen house
Here in the walled garden, the much smaller house was purpose-built for our Buff Orpington flock – currently numbering eighteen hens and cockerels. This has a very cunning internal layout of our own devising (admittedly it’s the third or fourth iteration!), that in a small footprint gives a really good standard for the birds, and is easy to clean and maintain. It has better natural light than the croft hen house … but since being shut in a month ago the hens haven’t laid a single egg. Two problems have become apparent: although the space per bird is at least as good as at the croft, the number of birds being small the house is also small – and there simply isn’t much scope for an individual bird to go walkabout and find its own quiet spot for a while, or socialize with friends – or avoid the others. The other problem is that the litter and dung on the floor is always damp and sticky – making it a smelly mess and requiring daily replacement. Ventilation does comply with legal requirements, but these dictate that ventilation is provided at high level, to avoid draughts affecting the birds. However our experience at the croft has shown that low-level ventilation – albeit diffused to avoid direct draughts – is essential if the house is to be kept in good sanitary conditions even in a damp Hebridean winter. Solution: install ventilation openings fitted with rodent-guards and diffusers. That hen house is too small to carry out this work whilst occupied, so today we moved the Buff Orpington flock to Greenhouse 3, which would otherwise be empty until Spring, when it’ll be needed for the tomato plants.
After working together to set up, in the greenhouse, a temporary structure made with pallets and recovered wood, we each carried armfulls of Buff Orpingtons from the hen house to their temporary greenhouse home: they complained bitterly all the way, but once settled down in the greenhouse, they clucked and crooned with pleasure and curiosity in their new surroundings. Top priorty? A dust bath!
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Not all hens (or animals for that matter!) are as well cared for as yours so no doubt a lot of suffering is involved during the period of housing them. Let’s hope this madness will soon be over and they can potter around outside again. We have friends with semi-wild ducks on a small lake so imagine what it means for them to try and catch them for imprisonment.
Measures are being taken to stop the disease spreading to poultry flocks but the 1,000 free-flying swans at Abbotsbury are wild and it is not possible to completely confine them . so no containment
It was lovely to read about how well your chickens are cared for, and all the variables you have considered for their health and welfare!
Hello, we used to keep 4 chickens here and when I saw the original 30 days segregation, wondered how if we still had them would this be possible. Sadly, I expect a large amount of folk with a couple of birds will flout the rules, as its virtually impossible to police.
We lost 3 of our 4 to prolapses. And were told that as we fed them organic feed it was too rich and they were producing larger eggs, I am struggling to remember which breed we had.
You have some beautiful evocative photos on your blog btw.
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I imagine the chicks are enjoying the extra light in the greenhouse too,
it amazes me when people say ‘I didn’t know that’ about something they are involved in or will/does affect them, to me it is a poor excuse,
good post, glad people are taking notice, Frances
Yes, though it’s then a bit more of a challenge to create the darkish conditions they like in a nesting box! Thanks for your visit and comment, Frances
Influenza A viruses are found in many different animals, including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, seals, and cats.
Influenza B viruses circulate widely only among humans.
Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus: the hemagglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N). There are 18 different hemagglutinin subtypes and 11 different neuraminidase subtypes. All known subtypes of influenza A viruses have been found among birds, except subtype H17N10 and H18N11 which have only been found in bats. Below is a table showing the different hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtypes and the species in which they have been detected.
Wild birds are the primary natural reservoir for all subtypes of influenza A viruses and are thought to be the source of influenza A viruses in all other animals. Most influenza viruses cause asymptomatic or mild infection in birds; however, the range of symptoms in birds varies greatly depending on the properties of the virus. Infection with certain avian influenza A viruses (for example, some H5 and H7 viruses) can cause widespread, severe disease and death among some species of wild and especially domestic birds such as chickens and turkeys. (Viruses that cause severe illness and death in birds or poultry are called “highly pathogenic.”
Pigs can be infected with both human and avian influenza viruses in addition to swine influenza viruses. Infected pigs get symptoms similar to humans, such as cough, fever and runny nose. Because pigs are susceptible to avian, human and swine influenza viruses, they potentially may be infected with influenza viruses from different species (e.g., ducks and humans) at the same time. If this happens, it is possible for the genes of these viruses to mix and create a new virus.
For example, if a pig were infected with a human influenza virus and an avian influenza virus at the same time, the viruses could mix (reassort) and produce a new virus that had most of the genes from the human virus, but a hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase from the avian virus. The resulting new virus would likely be able to infect humans and spread from person to person, but it would have surface proteins (hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase) not previously seen in influenza viruses that infect humans. This type of major change in the influenza A viruses is known as antigenic shift. Antigenic shift results when a new influenza A subtype to which most people have little or no immune protection infects humans. If this new virus causes illness in people and can spread easily from person to person, an influenza pandemic can occur. I judge the poultry shows around Scotland and I’m very sad about the wield birds and the hens it will have a devastating affect on the hobby.
We’ve had a lot of interest in this post, so we’ve added links to the current welfare codes for laying hens applicable to Scotland.
Thanks for this interesting read
Thank you, Gary. We hope also that it’s informative. There’s so much to learn in keeping poultry, and we really do feel that the more that is learned, the bigger the return – whether financially or just simply satisfaction. (For us both are equally important).
You must have some very happy birds. Your chook house looks fantastic. There is no requirement that I know of in the US to keep birds away from the sky and wild birds. I have hunted about the internet and local council pages but find very few references to avian flu at all. This does not mean it is not here but it does mean that the information about it has been restricted. Maybe so as not to alarm people or harm the egg market – who knows. Manipulation of information on the internet is a very real problem. But I have yet to hear anything about it. Though I don’t have as many chickens as you do they roam all over the place and the sparrows and wild birds roam about with them. I feel bad about that now. Have a lovely day. c
[J] Thank you Celi, we do have happy birds because we treat all our livestock with care and concern, regardless of the fact that they end up in the oven. Over 12 years or so we’ve learned so much about keeping poultry, and not from books (which don’t relate to island conditions at all!) but from mistakes – mostly expensive mistakes. Avian Flu might be known as Bird Flu in N America. US controls and checks plant/animal imports very very tightly indeed, and due to distance from E Asia (where bird flu comes from) it’s possible it is not in N America at all (it arrived in Europe about 10yrs ago). Don’t alarm yourself about contact with wild birds: here in the UK the requirement to segregate only applies if there is an order to do so, as is the case right now (the first time this has happened other than just around an individual farm). Ordinarily, the poultry can go wherever it likes, and believe us, we have LOTS of wild birds of every kind, from eagles to robins, gulls to gannets. J does a lot of trawling the internet to see how things are done elsewhere, so knows typical places to look. Today he found this: https://www.agr.state.il.us/laws You might possibly also have county/city ordinances (if that’s the correct term?). UK legislation is based on EU law – which is very very comprehensive but incomprhensible: the UK turn it into Codes of Practice which are very well written, easy to understand, and reflect long practical experience. Here’s a link to the Scottish versions (similar in other UK countries). A lot of it is common sense and universal – eg perch rail space requirements. You might find some of these useful! BTW egg sales are unaffected, and government has been quick to reassure that there is no risk to public health from eggs. It’s lovely following your blog. Tioraidh an drasd’ / Bye for now – J+D
Hi J and D, love this.
As an ex-smallholder (well, an ex-dweller on a smallholder, and henkeeper) I was shamefully unaware of regs (though naturally highly conscientious about welfare). Next time I keep poultry I will look them up, and look to you as leads in excellent practice! I do like a thing done well.
Thanks for all your lovely comments on my blog posts, always hugely appreciated.
Eloïse
Hello Eloise! We don’t mean to be critical of those who simply ‘don’t know’, as even current books on the poultry keeping are not very informative. It’s a pity, because the official code of practice is very helpful in understanding the practicalities of keeping hens. More so than some books, in fact, but unlike those books, the code of practice can be downloaded for free!