Bird Flu

Flu? What Flew?

Bird flu is a contagious disease caused by the Influenza A virus. This virus (H5N1) is an aquatic virus which thrives in a wet environment such as a factory farm setting. Backyard chickens are far less likely to become infected and spread this disease:

  • The virus requires a moist environment to survive (manure-saturated factory farms provide the perfect wet environment). Backyard sunshine will kill the virus very quickly.
  • Backyard chickens have a robust immune system, making it less likely that they will get infected in the first place. Contrast this with factory-farmed chickens, raised in an unnatural environment with no sunlight, no exercise, no fresh air, utilizing antibiotics and pesticides.
  • Factory farms keep the birds in close contact with each other, increasing the likelihood of the virus quickly spreading to the entire factory population.

Source: Dr. Michael Greger

For more information along with a detailed list of references, see this article:

Avian Influenza: Unjustly Blaming Outdoor Flocks

2 comments

  • Valerie Sanderson says:

    Fellow Chicken Lovers!
    I am working to legalize chickens in Nelson, BC and this is exactly the article that I was looking for! Not only does it give me much needed references, but it is written in a way that I can understand and later discuss with concerned individuals.
    Thanks, and keep on chogging (chicken blogging).

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