Bird flu alarm in the district: chickens and geese stay outside!

Bird flu alarm in the district: chickens and geese stay outside!

In the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, the local chickens, ducks and geese are still allowed to remain outdoors despite the worrying bird flu cases around Lake Plauer and in the Lewitz. This order gives animal owners some breathing room, but the authorities still urge caution. “The epidemic risk from the bird flu virus must still be taken seriously,” emphasizes the district and appeals to owners to strictly follow the recommended disease protection rules. This is essential in order to protect one's own stocks and prevent the spread of epidemics, as nordkurier.de reports.

A look at poultry farming shows that the number of animals kept plays no role. However, experts are optimistic that the danger situation will slowly ease as bird migration declines. Animal protection is clearly at the forefront of these measures: careful handling of the animals not only protects them from diseases, but also ensures sustainable local poultry farming.

Important prevention measures

Tino Blättrich, operator of the Glücks-Ei Moraas, has already reacted and redesigned his chicken farming accordingly. “We covered the run and fenced it in very tightly so that wild birds don’t have access,” he says. This shows how important it is to minimize contact opportunities between domestic poultry and potentially infected wild birds.

In addition, drinking troughs and feeding places should be made inaccessible to wild birds. The nearby waters that are frequented by wild birds must also be largely sealed off. Another point is the strict separation of street and stable clothing, especially shoes, in order to prevent the possible spread of the virus. The equipment must also be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

Bird flu at a glance

Bird flu is spreading rapidly, especially in livestock farms, and has recently particularly affected cranes, as NABU (nabu.de) reports. NABU President Jörg-Andreas Krüger expresses his concern about the outbreaks and the possible repercussions on wild birds. There is still uncertainty about the routes of infection, and the Friedrich Loeffler Institute does not rule out the possibility of transmission from poultry farming to wild birds.

So far it has been observed that the H5N1 viruses have spread globally, with exceptions in Australia. This could have serious consequences for the crane population, of which around 400,000 individuals live in Germany, but only 12,500 pairs breed. These majestic birds struggle to recover quickly as they only raise one or two young per year. In addition, climatic conditions affect the preservation of their habitats.

In order to improve the cranes' habitat, the EU has created important conditions with the Restoration Law, but the specific measures still have to be implemented in the federal states. This is particularly important because the need to understand and combat the spread of bird flu is undisputed by many experts.

The district therefore urgently appeals to all animal owners to consistently implement the advice on disease prevention. In the event of increased animal losses, the veterinary office should be informed immediately. In emergencies, the official veterinarians are available via the West Mecklenburg control center

.