How to prepare for flockdown freedom!How to prepare for flockdown freedom!

How to prepare for flockdown freedom!

Have you heard the good news? DEFRA have recently announced that we can let our girls (and boys) out to play again from the 1st April, Woohoo!

No more having to perform gymnastics trying to keep ninja chickens from escaping while trying to change their food and water, no more feeling heartbroken and guilty at the sad eyes they give us when we have to push them back in saying ‘sorry, not yet!’, and no more having to avoid eye contact when they give us the death glare from their run!

However, don’t pull out the party poppers just yet! While our chickens are allowed out of their runs again, there is still a risk of bird flu in the UK at the moment and all other biosecurity measures need to be followed; so to make sure your hens stay safe you’ll need to spend some time this week making sure your garden is ready.

Step 1 – Make sure your garden is unattractive to wild birds

Especially wild waterfowl such as ducks and geese, corvids such as crows and magpies, and gulls.

Bird flu is carried in the digestive and respiratory systems of infected birds and can be passed on to your chickens either through direct contact with an infected bird or by coming into contact with the infected bird’s poop, saliva, or nasal secretions.

To reduce the likelihood of this happening you can discourage wild birds from your garden by taking the following actions:

  • If you have a pond, hide it under a cover or place a net over the top to stop wild birds from drinking, bathing, or pooping in it. You will also want to fence your pond (and any other water such as streams, standing water or wet and boggy areas) so your chickens can’t get near it, as there is a higher risk that the water and surrounding area may have been visited by wild birds that could have been infected or left infected droppings behind.

*** Did you know that the virus that causes bird flu can stay alive in bird poop for nearly 2 months, and even longer in wet conditions or water! *** ~ DEFRA

  • If you have wild bird feeders, either take them down to discourage wild birds from visiting your garden or put them as far away from your chickens as possible. For example, if your chickens are kept in the back garden, you could put your bird feeders in your front garden so there is a much lower risk of contact with wild birds.
  • Make sure not to leave any chicken food or treats out in your garden as this may encourage birds to come investigate. Instead all chicken food and treats should be kept covered in your chickens’ coop or run to make it as difficult as possible for wild birds to reach it.

Step 2 – Keep Wild Birds out of your garden

It can be wonderful and relaxing watching wild birds visit your garden, but until the threat of bird flu has gone we need to keep wild birds out of our garden to reduce the risk of the virus being passed on to our hens. A few different ways to humanely keep wild birds out of your garden include:

  • Hang a predator decoy such as a ‘flying’ falcon in a tree or from a pole, which should fool wild birds into thinking a predator is about, although you will want to change the position every few days so they don’t work out the decoys are fake!
  • If you don’t have a tree and don’t want poles sticking up in your garden, try placing predator decoy statues of cats, foxes or owls in your garden, again make sure to move these round your garden so wild birds don’t get used to them.
  • Another good deterrent are scary eye balloons! These are big yellow beach balls with red eyes printed on them and a reflective centre. Just blow them up, tie a few around your garden and the red eyes will make wild birds think they are being watched, so they will avoid your garden!
  • You could also try tying a few old CD’s around your garden with string. Not only will the sudden movement of them swaying in the breeze keep wild birds from coming into your garden, the sunlight will reflect off the shiny surface, making the CD’s flash which will also work as a visual deterrent as wild birds don’t like flashy lights.
  • Or my personal favourite, sit in the garden and enjoy relaxing with your girls while they free range, wild birds are highly unlikely to come in the garden with you there at the same time unless they’re really cheeky!

Step 3 – Give your garden a good deep clean

While your chickens have been confined to their runs, wild birds may have had access to your garden (I know I’ve seen some cheeky wood pigeons strutting their stuff in our garden while Blue gives them the evil eye from the run!), and if any of those birds were infected they could have left the virus behind!

To make sure that all traces of the virus are gone before you let your girls out:

  • Run a rake over the rest of your garden to break up and clear any remaining bird poop or food wild birds may have dropped. This will help expose any surfaces where the virus may be hiding to sunlight, helping the UV from the sun kill any remaining traces of the virus.
  • To clean wet areas, DEFRA recommends adding shavings or wood chip to the area as the resin in the wood has virus destroying properties that can help get rid of any virus that may be left in the water. However, if trying this method, you should consult your vet first as this may lead to fungal growth and an increased risk of a fungal disease called Aspergillosis, which can irreversibly affect your birds breathing and airways, and can lead to death if you’re not careful!
  • If you do have a pond in your garden, it may be a better idea to drain the water and give it a good scrub with a natural disinfectant such as tea tree oil, which is great at getting rid of viruses. Although make sure to store your tea tree oil away from your chickens and give your pond a good rinse afterwards as while it’s a great disinfectant it is also toxic to birds if nibbled or breathed in!

Step 4 – Sorry, chicken cuddles are reserved for VIPs only!

With flockdown ending around the same time as covid restrictions being reduced, you might want to catch up with friends or family while you let your chickens have a wander round the garden, but this might not be the best idea as bird flu may accidently be brought into your garden on the bottom of peoples shoes!
To reduce the risk of this happening here are a few extra precautions you can take:

  • Try to limit the amount of people who have access to the area where your chickens are allowed to wander, especially if they have had contact with other birds such as feeding ducks at the park or visiting a farm.
  • If people do need to enter the part of your garden where your chickens are, ask if they can bring a spare pair of clean shoes which have had the soles disinfected or ask them to wear clean reusable shoe covers to stop any viruses being accidently brought in. Since getting chickens I’ve found it’s a good idea to have a set of ‘chicken-only’ clothes and shoes anyway so I can keep my nice clothes nice, and if poop happens (as it often does) its ok as its on my ‘chicken’ clothes!

*** You’ll also want to keep a diary of any visitors who have had chicken cuddles and when, and a record of any eggs sold and who they were sold to (including their name and address if possible) ***

  • If you are lucky enough to own over 50 chickens, DEFRA advises using foot dips to disinfect your shoes when entering or exiting any area where your chickens are kept or allowed to wander, including putting a foot dip and sign at the entry and exits of any footpaths that go through these areas.

Step 5 – Freeeedoooom!

Once you’ve completed steps 1-4, grab a cuppa, open the door to the chicken run, and sit back and enjoy their clucks of happiness as they stretch their wings, run around your garden and snuggle into the grass for a nice relaxing snooze. It might have been hard work, but watching them be happy is so worth it.

Helpful Links

How to prepare for when your free-range birds can be let outside again – DEFRA Guidance
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/972412/advice-to-poultry-keepers-preparing-range.pdf

You can find Government Approved Disinfectants here:
http://disinfectants.defra.gov.uk/DisinfectantsExternal/Default.aspx?Module=ApprovalsList_SI

If you have any questions for DEFRA you can find their contact details here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-defra

You can also find more information and updates to the bird flu situation here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

If you’d like to know the current risk in your area there is an interactive map here:
https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8cb1883eda5547c6b91b5d5e6aeba90d