Huzzah ,for chickens and other captive birds across England and Wales ,its FREEDOM DAY ! as months housed or in covered runs they can finally be allowed out .
(Scotland birds were never subject to a housing order ,we had ,much fewer cases and in very limited areas )
Across the UK theres still some restrictions but these wont affect most birds they just make life a bit tricker for their owners #Chickens ,#Flockdown https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-prevention-zone-all-scotland/

#Flockdown #APHA #AvianFlu
#Poultry #Chickens #Ducks #Allotments
Just another reminder Chicken lockdown AKA flockdown ends Tuesday .Huzzah ! :) English and Welsh chickens are facing their last day in covered runs or housed .Meanwhile Scotlands lucky poultry have stayed (comparavitly )free ,theres some extra hassle for their owners ,biosecurity measures and segregating water fowl from other poultry but from the chickens point of view their lives have been fairly normal.

#Flockdown #AvianFlu #Chickens #Poultry #Allotments
Good news for the chickens ,ducks ,geese,Turkeys and Guinea fowl of England and Wales,chicken lockdown ends in a weeks time https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-keepers-must-maintain-scrupulous-biosecurity-standards-as-housing-measures-set-to-be-lifted
(Scotland doesnt have a housing order ,but it does require birds to be in runs ,their food and water away from wild birds and some other biosecurity measures

#Allotments #Gardening #Scotland #PlantiCrub
My long term aim is to save for a small Polycrub ,partly because I think Avian Flu Chicken lockdown AKA #Flockdown will be a frequent issue.But also because winters here are cold and long so being able to spend time outside after dark or in bad weather would be great .The name is from Planticrub,a tradtional drystone walled enclosure used to grow plants on the Islands and in the north (photo dreamtime https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/planticrub.html
https://www.polycrub.co.uk/blog/why-polycrub

Betty warming herself on a sunny perch. #chickensofmastodon #flockdown

We had more snow in the far north ,this was on ground I had cleared snow from the day before .(Theres no #flockdown here #Scotland doesnt have a housing order in place for chickens unless your near an outbreak and theres only been a handful of outbreaks all much further south )

Grosse Jam Session auf der Dachterrasse - heute vor 2 Jahren gab‘s den grossen Dump.

#flockdown

#avianFlu #birdflu #flockdown

At last ,Scotland has tightened controls on game birds ,hopefully England will do the same
Scotlands birds arent in the same rigid chicken lockdown as Englands because most of Scotland hasnt had cases .but game birds have repeadtly tested positive for Avian flu in England which has a housing order so chickens have to stay inside or in netted runs whiles pheasants were still exempt which is just stupid
https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/news/national-bird-flu-declaration-updated-to-include-controls-fo-299103/

Dug out the enclosed #Chicken run this afternoon and put down fresh hard wood chips. Hid some corn in the wood chips so that kept the girls entertained. #Flockdown due to avian flu is hard on the hens but we are trying to enhance they lives while locked up.

and on the #Birds and #Dinosaurs theme ,my #Guinea Fowl I really miss them ,they went to my friends who has an isolated croft , they are crazy birds and VERY noisy so only practical if theres no neighbours .This was them flaunting #flockdown ie Chicken lockdown last year I lived in daily dread of Defra turning up and dragging me away for letting my Guinea fowl free range,but while most of my birds didnt mind winter lockdown , they are excellent escapologists and flyers

#chickens
#poultry ,#animals
Tiny Tina the compost heap broody and her chick its slowly getting some feathers but its still mostly fluff so its going to be a long time before it can go outside ,keeping the kitchen clean is hard work ,but the main problem is Tina doesnt let us near the back door or fridge or let me into my crockery cupboard and we had to move the cats bowls so they could eat in safety because she patrols the kitchen.Scotland isnt on #flockdown hence more freedom of movt)

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But our run is soo delightful
Since we can’t go outside
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
#chickensofmastodon #flockdown #happychickens #letitsnow

What's better than a lunch break spent in the stables with the chickens. Hopefully a weirdo crouched on the ground trying to imitate their calls was a good bit of enrichment now they're in #flockdown #avianflu #chickens #smallholsong #cymru

Girls checking out their new #flockdown enrichment activity
#chickens

#flockdown

#flockdown

#flockdown #chickens #Wales #AvianFlu #BirdFlu
As of today Chickens and ducks etc in Wales are in chicken lockdown like Englands (Flockdown).#Scotland doesnt have a housing order as it has very few cases .Though its called a housing order ,birds dont need to be kept indoors,you can comply with the regulations and keep them safe by netting your birds runs and tightening your biosecurity,use different footware (as opposed to chemical footbaths) limit access to them etc
https://gov.wales/avian-influenza-bird-flu-latest-update

#Chickens #Poultry #Hens
#flockdown
I didnt see this until last night but NI also has a housing order ,it came into force Yesterday
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/avian-housing-order-introduced-ni
Luckily the dreaded #APHA email announcing a Scottish housing order wasnt in my inbox this morning .the North of Scotland is closer to the coast of Norway than it is to the outbreaks in England and on different migration routes so it will be annoying if theres a housing order here

#AvianFlu #Wales #Chickens #UKChickens #Flockdown #hens
#H5N1
bad news for Welsh chickens :(
#Flockdown is spreading ,Theres been two more cases in Scotland so its possible it will announced a housing order soon but we still have very few cases and none in most of the country so hopefuly not
#England has already got a housing order
https://gov.wales/avian-influenza-bird-flu-latest-update
Please Note ,,A housing order doesnt mean birds Must be housed ,you can cover their runs in netting ,as long as it keeps wild birds out

@Cestrienne Its very bad in England esp in the south ,all the captive birds are in lockdown (aka #flockdown ) .The south has been hit really badly most of Stratford on Avons swans have died and thousands of wild birds have been dying (its spread via migrating wild birds so the poultry lockdown doesnt help spread just protects the birds themselves ) Luckily Scotlands had few cases so no lockdown here (I dont think Wales in in lockdown either )