Peggy Eif knew something was wrong the moment she walked into the chickens on her farm in the Burton area on April 21.
“We saw a (dead) bird here and a bird there, about five or six,” she said. “We thought something had entered the yard. And we found a hole in the fence. So we decided that was it.
“We cleaned the birds and put the others back in the coop.
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But the next day, the birds were still showing signs of stress – some showed no interest in eating or were huddled in the corners of the pen.
“I knew something was wrong,” she said. “I call them ‘my girls’ – I spend enough time with my children.”
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Then more began to die.
“On Friday night, I found a couple on the floor who didn’t look right, and I thought, ‘Okay, this seems to be going through a’ stress’ phase.” Then they started falling, literally dead, “Ife said.
By the time Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors arrived the following Monday morning, she had lost nearly 60 of her 70 birds.
It was not an easy moment, and having to kill her entire herd was “devastating.”
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“I have birds since 2006. One who just died was born here in 2012. I have a goose that is 14. My children usually die of old age,” she said.
The inspectors arrived – “Really nice people, a lot of information,” she said – and took samples of her birds. A few days later, she received the news: her birds have H5N1, the virulent strain of bird flu.
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A handful of other Ife birds had to be destroyed as a measure to stop the virus from spreading to more areas.
“My husband keeps watching me to see if I’m okay,” Ife told Valley Voice the day before the news.
“I’m holding on, but the more I think about what’s going to happen – I’m sorry when the time comes – I can’t be the one to leave my babies.
Ife posted his story on several Facebook pages of the community, and the rumor spread to hundreds of poultry farmers in the backyard of the Valley Voice readers’ area that they were on the lookout for bird flu.
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Bird flu or bird flu is a contagious and deadly virus that can cause birds to get sick or die.
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There are two strains of the disease, one mild and one virulent. Ife’s flock caught the last one, H5N1, believed to be coming north with the spring migration of wild birds.
Ife suspects that her birds caught him like that.
“All my wild bird feeders were empty for a few weeks, so I decided to be kind and fill them to feed the wild birds. And I have a lot of feeders, “she said.
Farmers are urging owners of small herds or backyard herds to remain vigilant and take appropriate preventive measures.
“Measures include eliminating or reducing the ability of poultry to encounter wild birds, reducing human access to the flock and intensifying cleaning, disinfection and disinfection of all things (including clothing and footwear) when entering areas where flocks are housed.” , recommends CFIA.
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The Ife flock is not the only case of bird flu in British Columbia. The CFIA announced a week earlier a confirmed case of a flock of poultry in the backyard in Kelowna. A dead bald eagle has also been found in the lower part of the continent.
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This is where the biggest concern is – Fraser Valley is home to the chicken meat industry in the countryside. The last time bird flu passed there was in 2004, 17 million birds had to be destroyed to save the industry.
Avian influenza is rare in humans and generally does not spread easily among humans.
“During an outbreak of avian influenza in poultry, the risk to the general public is very low,” says the CFIA. “Most avian influenza viruses cannot be easily spread by birds to humans or by humans to humans.
“However, each new influenza virus in the human population is a problem because of its potential to change and adapt for easier transmission between humans.
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Meanwhile, Ife begs his fellow poultry farmers in the region to do the right thing: eliminate wildlife sources and report on any dead wild birds they may notice.
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“If you have wild bird feeders, take them down,” she said. “If you want to grow up free, there’s always a chance they’ll catch something.
“But if you’re running, make sure you don’t have bird feeders. And if you feed yours outside, make sure they clean it before the wild birds come in. Bring in the water source for your birds.
Although ordered to kill her birds is difficult, Ife says she did the right thing by reporting it.
“I understand why people don’t want to report because of that,” she said. “But if they don’t know where it’s going, they can’t stop it from spreading.”
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