Safety Measures

Andy Marshall looks into the practical aspects of the AI-related Protection Zone, and explains the implications for back garden hen keepers and their birds.

- Andy Marshall

I was horrified, while enjoying an afternoon walk with the family over the Christmas holiday, to pass an orchard full of free-range ducks and chickens. I just couldn’t believe that there were still poultry keepers around who weren’t aware of the Defra guidance concerning avian influenza, and the risks its continuing spread poses to chicken enthusiasts across the UK.

In my view it’s simply not fair on the sensible majority who are following the official advice, to be put at risk by the unthinking minority. For many keepers it’s been far from easy to comply with the Protection Zone guidance. Yet most owners are acting responsibly, and doing their very best to minimise the impact of this serious disease. Taking no action and simply ignoring the official advice is just plain unacceptable.

Practical measures

The reality is that avian influenza has the potential to affect all chicken keepers in the UK, so it’s very important that everyone makes an effort to minimise the risk of this dangerous and destructive disease spreading.

For the hobby keeper, this essentially means that all back garden chickens need to be housed and, in so doing, prevented from any sort of free-range activity, or using an open run. Covering the run with strawberry netting will keep out wild birds but won’t, of course, prevent the droppings falling down through it, and on to the run floor below.

Chicken house and run combinations can work if the run roof is covered with a solid material to prevent the droppings landing in the run. Black plastic sheeting is a cheap way of temporarily keeping the run clean.