January 26, 2017
Bird flu is serious matter around here. Thousands of chickens are kept at tens of thousands of homes in central Chile. Outbreaks of avian bird flu have been detected in the Valparaiso region of Chile in which Nogales is situated.
Yesterday, two officials drove to the farm and informed Ricardo and Susaan that they needed capture one rooster and two hens. Tomorrow they will return to test the birds. If blood samples are positive, all the chickens on the farm will be killed and incinerated. So far they have inspected over 8000 farms with no flu detected. http://afludiary.blogspot.cl/2017/01/chile-moa-reports-2nd-lpai-h7-outbreak.html
Roosters and hens, with a great deal of cock-a-doodle-do-ing and clucking, roam around the farm all day long. Try to get near them an they scramble, always staying out of reach. Their lives depend on being alert and a fast moving target.
Did you ever try to catch a chicken with a long pole with a hook at the end to grab their bright yellow feet? I didn't think so.
In what was a comical pursuit reminiscent of the Keystone Cops from the barn to the yard in front and back of the farmhouse, it took two wily men one hour to capture this rooster. Half hour later, they captured two hens.
Don Pedro and Juanito got the easy jobs of trussing up the hens.
And were pretty pleased with themselves, and probably pretty happy they weren't the ones doing the chasing.
Luis, Don Pedro and Juan Vila place the birds in an orange crate with some food and water.They will be tested tomorrow.
The preventative measures began on January 5, 2017. The first outbreak of avian influenza occurred near Valparaiso. Over 350,000 birds were slaughtered. Another case occurred on January 18 at a nearby turkey farm called Sopraval located in the El Melon district of Nogales.
According to news sources, "All protocols exist to prevent the spread of the virus biosafety were triggered, and the immediate slaughter of about 35,000 turkeys of the sector, the sanitary landfill in the same place and the implementation of actions determined disinfection." Wherever it is found, no traces of bird flu are allowed to remain on the farms.
The Agriculture and Livestock Service ordered that chickens on every farm in the region had to be tested for avian influenza.
I won't keep you in suspense.The next day, the blood samples officials took from the chickens were negative. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
PT,
Sending prayers Fires now this? Send them my Best!
Posted by: Gerard | February 03, 2017 at 07:35 PM