A new strain of bird flu, which is spreading in Canada and around the world, is now in British Columbia, and a chicken farmer from West Cooteney says she may have killed 80 percent of her flock.
Peggy Ife farms near Burton, a small rural community in the southeast, and says her flock of 70 chickens has shrunk to a dozen in just four days.
“They were literally falling dead,” she told Radio West presenter Sarah Penton.
She expects her entire herd to disappear in the next two days.
Ife said some of her birds are lethargic and not interested in food. After some research, she found that her birds may have contracted bird flu.
“I know my girls very well because I spend a lot of time with them,” she said.
The chickens on Peggy Ife’s farm behaved unusually and then literally died last week. (Peggy Ife)
Her “girls” have been with her for several years; one of the chickens she lost had lived to be 14 years old.
“Some people think it’s funny, but I call it my therapy. If I have a bad day or things don’t go well, I go down and spend the day talking to the girls,” Ife said.
“They are like my children.”
She believes bird feeders for wild birds in the area are spreading the virus to her chickens.
Color transmission electron micrograph of avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (seen in gold) grown in cages (seen in green) in this 1997 image (Centers for Disease Control / Canadian Press)
Environment Canada researcher Jennifer Provencher says bird flu is common, but this particular strain is more deadly than others. It is spread through oral and faecal secretions.
Authorities in other provinces are advising residents to temporarily stop filling their bird feeders and baths to reduce the spread of the virus.
Ife says investigators from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) visited her farm on Monday to determine the cause of death, as it may not be bird flu. She expects to hear the results on Wednesday.
Last week, however, a poultry farm in Enderby, northern Okanagan, British Columbia, was quarantined after the virus was found in its flock. according to the CFIA.
On Monday, the British Columbia Ministry of Food and Agriculture announced that new cases had been identified in a flock of poultry in the backyard in Kelowna.
In addition, a bald eagle found in Delta is positive for the virus, making it the second bald eagle to test positive, after one in Vancouver in February.
The province calls on poultry farmers to be vigilant and to introduce preventive measures, such as eliminating or reducing opportunities for contact with wild birds, reducing human access to the herd and intensifying cleaning and disinfection.
Provencher said that bird flu can infect any bird and it is important to watch for signs of the virus and report any suspicions to employees.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, symptoms include tremor, lack of coordination, swelling around the head, neck and eyes, lack of energy, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea or sudden death.
Sick birds must be reported to the Department of Forestry, Land, Natural Resources and Rural Development at 250-751-3234 in BC or to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative on 1-800-567-2033.
Radio West17: 33 Bird flu is thought to be the cause of death that killed dozens of chickens on a farm in BC
Bird flu is thought to have been the cause of death that killed dozens of chickens on a farm in Burton, British Columbia. 17:33
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