You put the finger right on the problem. I understand the biosecurity concerns that drive the culling, but the birds that survive an outbreak should be high priority stock to breed for resistance in the future. Bird flu isn't going away, and it's already crossing into other species. We can't sit around and pretend that culling is stopping it from spreading or jumping species barriers anymore.
It's scary as well because it can spread through feed and infected bird meat. So in the US with the majority of our meat market coming from over crowded sources it can be so hard to stop the spread before it hits the market. I'm scared so many people will get sick before things get better. Birds with immunity should be top priority, but even that has risks of getting handlers sick before immune birds can be identified.
I think the worry is that survivors may be carriers, and that letting them live could lead to them infecting new birds. Kind of like how Mareks behaves.
This is a fantastic educational video. Telling the story from all perspectives, addressing the concerns with grave seriousness but without fear mongering, and expressing your own opinion and story without grandstanding. Thanks for keeping journalistic integrity alive. Wishing your farm and flock the best.
This virus is extremely resistent and evolve constantly, so your birds aren't protected at all even if they come from somewhere else. My father had 10 chickens, and they all died from the bird flu even though they were more than 5y old and didn't have any contact with wild birds. Same for my grandparents' chickens and ducks, 43 birds died in two months even if they did everything to avoid that outcome. Between them, only 3 chickens survived, and they'll be the first to reproduce next become my grandparents and father want to create a selection of bird flu resisting chickens.
I just want to say that I'm so proud of you, dude. You work very hard and are very transparent with both your successes and mistakes. And thank you for continuing to post these videos -- it's hard work, both creating content AND farming!!! Much love from Florida ♡
Agree with the producer... we should be keeping and monitoring birds that are resistant. Aren't we encouraging mutations by culling everything? Thanks for sharing!
Cellular debris is always different like if you looked in a garbage can it would always be different. One garbage can doesn't change because of another one. They are just different because they are made of a unique combination of trash.
I lost my flock to avian flu almost 3 years ago we live between two ponds with our property on the river that connects the two. Wild ducks constantly over head. Wild ducks would frequently land on the property. The turkey and chickens were the first to go after the second chicken I contacted my state veterinarian and they did a complete eradication. It was completely devastating emotionally, and I haven't brought myself to get any new Birds 😞 it's no joke
Thank you for going to the trouble of bringing this to us without the sensationalism the news channels seem to bring to stories like this. Hope you guys are staying safe with the ice on the roads and such.
I live about 20 miles from Metzer. I have gone to their farm to pick up goslings in person. They're very helpful people. All poultry and cattle shows in California have been cancelled until further notice. I am no longer allowing my chickens to free range, and have made sure all openings into their run are screened. Unfortunately, as Mr. Metzer said, you can't control the wind in this area.
Half my waterfowl came directly from them and I live 2 hours from their California hatchery. To keep from inbreeding I have taken an excruciatingly long time getting birds from other hatcheries or breeders with lines not associated with Metzer. I love them to death and have at least one order a year from them so I nearly broke into tears hearing those first few sentences. As a side note, your Call duck is most likely not related to their Call Ducks as they only started selling them last year. Due to his age he most likely comes from an unrelated line. Half my Call Ducks are from them and come from both their California Hatchery and their new one, sorry forget where they are based. I'm not sure where the California one gets their eggs for Call duck, we have a lot of great show breeders here, but the ones from the new plant come from Amish farmer. We were one of the few groups of people a few years back that had the option of getting our ordered chicks from Murray McMurray or getting a refund so they could rebuild their flocks after they were hit. We had an order that was due to ship the week after their flocks were culled. I called as soon as I heard and asked what I could do to help, they were super nice and told me I could have all my birds shipped or get a refund. I took the refund without a second thought and even offered to just let them use the funds to rebuild, the lady laughed at me and issued the refund. Later they sent me a message saying they were doing a special event for people who had their orders cancelled/ refunded. We could order before everyone else at a discount. Super nice people.
I don't think we've ever gotten birds from anywhere but Murry McMurry (have to say the whole thing every time lol) & Metzer. Going all the way back to 81/82 when I was a kid. I was glad to hear that they fared as well as possible.
They may want eggs from your flocks to replenish their flocks. Metzer bought out several rare breed flocks that were on the verge of extinction, so those breeds will no longer have a base to expand from.
The one you are talking about was created in a lab or several labs, military connection there. It is not one of the flues that wild birds seem to pass around. This one is man made.
I’m going to say the same thing I said on the Fit Farmer’s channel when he interviewed Metzer. A few thoughts I’ve had for awhile and I’m not trying to fear-monger…. A big business like Metzer Farms has insurance on its birds and it is in their interest to get money for their losses instead of dealing with unclaimed losses. Those of us with small pastured poultry farms do not (yet) have insurance on our livestock. Small farms are more inclined to sustain losses, cull sick animals, and allow healthy birds to “ride out” the flu. Immunity may not be passed on to future generations of surviving birds, but strong healthy birds tend to reproduce strong healthy birds! Also, survivors are less likely to get the flu again. Small farms are also more likely to have other species beyond poultry. After hearing of farms that had their pigs, cows AND birds “depopulated” after Bird flu was found… small farmers are LESS-inclined to invite a veterinarian or USDA inspector onto the farm to investigate a sick animal. They are more likely to cull the sick animals themselves in attempts to spare the majority of farm animals. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but this bird flu is starting to make more sense to me when I just think about money. The widest publicized cases in my state of Oregon have been a factory egg farm killing 150,000 birds in a building after an EMPLOYEE was found to have a mild case of bird flu (no sick birds), and also a small homestead with a bird flu infected pig where the pig and flock of chickens were all killed. Veterinarians have to follow the law and really cannot think for themselves on this. I’m just praying for the health of all of our animals and hope this isn’t a case of a pharmaceutical company wanting to sell vaccines by leaking a lab virus.
@@leoniebelcher1680 But the human mortality rate here in the states is nowhere near that. We've had 60+ confirmed mild cases and one death (when I checked about a week ago). So 52%, I think, reflects numbers from Chine and SE Asia where they really didn't have the resources to test, and so the majority of cases went completely undetected. If all you see are the severe cases that land in the hospital in significant distress, and the mild ones never present, that skews the numbers hard. 1 out of 60+ is a less than 2% death rate, thus far. Not that a 2% death rate is a happy thing, don't get me wrong. It's just a heck of a lot better than 50-60% that I normally see thrown around for the bird flu. But yes, it's been around a long time. Just more virulent now.
The stark head of monocultures rears it's head. With so few producers in the meat industry, and the need to save face for something that could be no one's fault this is why I am so afraid of the food industry deregulation that could soon be coming. Large political influence in rural states, almost total self inspection, mega factories for processing is not a good mix.
Deregulation will swifly lead to diversification as smaller producers will more readily be able to compete. We have HIGH regulations right now and our food system is super messed up. More regulations are NOT the answer.
@@stephennass3840 Smart regulation can keep the baby of public interest while throwing away the bathwater of big corporate exclusivity. I don't doubt that what are supposed to be liberal measures have been taken over by big corporate interests to gain dominance.
@@stephennass3840 So the market solves every problem just that easily right? Think again. What completion will you get when all the big ag regulation is wiped out, particularly the laws concerning mergers and acquisitions?
I live in a little trailer court and I have a closed in run and coop for my chickens. I haven't gotten any chickens the last couple of years. I only lost 1 bird in the last year and that was one of my oldest chickens . I still have 1 from my original flick and she is around 9 years old.
I watched another interview with Metzer, It was so heartbreaking, the worry is real. It is devastating to farms, especially if its their livelihood.Great to see you in todays video Mogan! Flock looks great!
It's NOT just bird flu bouncing around out there. I lost eleven snakes, ELEVEN, and each a beloved pet, in 6 horrific weeks to serpentovirus last Autumn! DEVASTATED. It's 2020 again around here as far as quarantine protocalls are concerned.
Sorry for your loss. One of my hognose drowned in August. It was upsetting to check on my babies after work and find her lethargic next to her water and rubbing her head. Water was coming out of her nostrils and mouth.
My supermarket today had zero eggs, other than the pasturized ones in half pint containers. There were some last week, but prices were sky high. It goes right down the food chain and is a VERY strong argument for decentalization (which Metzer thought of too, thankfully). Also, it might be worth it to let some birds live through instead of culling and breed from the survivors. Metzer thought of that too, but now we need to get the government to go that way and find a way to keep it out of the cattle and away from US.
I bought eggs yesterday. 4-5 bucks per dozen. My brain is still used to 99 cent per dozen from 2017 prices. Hubs was doing all the shopping for a few years, so all the price hikes shocked me. Too bad my wages haven't kept up.
Such sad news…Metzer was my original, years ago by now (other than hatching myself) source for my ducks & geese! I am sure Metzer folks are taking the best precautions in spite of nature taking is course. Thanks for the guidance - very helpful! Take good care.
Mahalo for making this video, Morgan, without the fear mongering and with all the common sense! I have a backyard flock in Hawaii, about 60 chickens and just one duck, but we get a lot of migratory birds here, so it's scary!
We had a rather significant impact on one of our local zoos here in Arizona (Wildlife World Zoo). They reported that: “In December 2024, the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Litchfield Park, Arizona, experienced an avian flu outbreak that killed five animals and exposed more than 25 employees. The animals that died included a cheetah, mountain lion, swamphen, kookaburra, and an Indian goose. A white tiger also tested positive but was expected to recover”.
@@skorrie3849 it's apparently getting pretty bad in Reykjavík where, in one instance, 19 geese were found deceased in a body of water. People there have been advised to keep their cats inside and to not let dogs close to sick birds/carcasses.
It makes me think of when foot and mouth disease struck in All Creatures Great and Small (the books or og show). Culling the entire herd, quarantine, paperwork, catastrophic loss for the farmers
Yahoo! Congrats Morgan and Alison. You and your animals, birds stay well and safe. Having a rotten Summer here in NZ. Wet and much cooler. Oh well, at least all is well.😊😊❤❤
We purchased 1 goose and 6 cayugas five years ago from metzer.. we live in NYS and these birds arrived in our local post office in 1 day...how is that even possible. ..nice healthy birds. Great farm!
Your chickens are the healthiest! My parents and grandparents and great great great great grandparents all had chickens, and your chickens just by looking at them are HEALTHY! Don't kill your chickens!
Morgan - cats are extremely susceptible to avian flu and the mortality rate is 60%. You need to do everything you can to keep your barn kitties safe which means reducing their exposure to wild birds.
FYI, dairy workers who contract bird flu from cows to date have had a mild form, resulting in pink eye, cough, diarrhea, vomiting and other flu like symptoms. Raw milk infected with bid flu has proved deadly for felines and sicked a child in Marin County, CA. triggering a recall of raw milk.
I'm from the Salinas Valley, my nephew and his family live in Gonzales, where Metzer Farms is located. Salinas Valley winds "breathe". They travel eastward, off the ocean at night and travel westward in the morning, so many birds would follow the path of least resistance and flow with the winds. I would blame the seagulls and sparrows for spreading the Avian Flu the most. The seagulls would have brought it from Asia and spread it around their population. However they traveled, seagulls would have brought it to the West Coast, to California. At Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey Bay, you can often see the sparrows and blackbirds fighting for the scraps the seagulls leave behind. On rainy days, the seagulls would fly inland to schools and parking lots. Now, even more birds would be contaminated (birds I've personally seen in the area); robins, starlings, blue jays, red tail hawks (every movie bald eagle sound you hear is actually from red tails), ground owls, sparrows and blackbirds who never traveled to the ocean, and now the swallows I often saw roosting around dairy farms. We've already heard about dairy cattle having Avian Flu. This is a natural process of the disease traveling around the world through birds. Pretty sure every place on earth will have/had it at some point. There is no stopping it. Even if we had a cure, we can't vaccinate every bird in the world. Avian Flu/Influenza (they're the same thing) is similar to the Human Flu; there are several different strains, they mutate over time, they keep showing up year over year. Finding birds who are resistant or, hopefully, immune, is the only way to deal with it, but there has been this huge knee-jerk reaction to kill every farmed or pet bird who has it to stop it from crossing over into a Human pandemic. As long as pet birds are isolated or kept indoors and, for food birds, we cook the eggs and bird products all the way through, other animals and humans won't contract it. Dairy cow milk just needs to be pasteurized (cooked) and it's safe. It's debatable if anyone should be setting out bird feed or feeding wild animals in the parks. About half the people who have reportedly contracted Avian Flu have died from it--but what about the numbers of people who did NOT get so sick as to seek a doctor? We have no clue about those numbers. Maybe this should be investigated.
If the wild birds in parks and cities are reliant on humans leaving out food for them because their natural food sources have been removed to make way for human infrastructure, then taking that food source away is only going to cause more bird deaths. Wether directly from starvation, or because a bird that may otherwise have pulled through, didn't have the energy to recover from flu without food.
Hey! GSF. I left FB a while ago and that it is where I would see your videos I have missed you all. And here you are. 😊 Sorry about this bird flu for all. I hope that you and your flocks and family stay safe.
Well done, Morgan, for explaining in plain simple language the extent of the damage to not just the USA's poultry AND WILD BIRDS TOO but the whole of the World BIrd population. Hence the higher cost's of eggs and poultry to the purchaser. And the lack of stock on Supermarket shelves
You and Metzer farm went above and beyond with this video, Morgan. As newly budding farmers, we had no idea how serious this could get. Thank you for the education and be safe - Dakota & Angela
No, but there is no need for it, most barns have enough access and atraction for birds to want to live there. And since they'll roost up high, their droppings end up in the cows feed or water.
That would be a good video to make. Let people not only see what is needed to raise awareness, but to help smaller farmers prepare so they can get to decontamination right away and minimize spreads if birdflu is found on their property. Fast action can save lives and slow spread
I work with a bunch of virologists, epidemiologists, infectious disease researchers. These were the folks I listened to during the pandemic because they were on the front line. I remember hearing them talk about the fear of avian influenza doing what covid did. So I totally understand why the protocol is total destruction of any bird (or egg) that might be infected. But as I bird owner (chickens and ducks) it would be devastating to have to destroy my animals.
Thanks for telling us all about the bird flu, I know that you talked a little bit about this. I don't have any birds, it's great to know what to do though.
MARY IN FLA Im a non native bird rescue .I have picked up chick and ducklings that incountered shipping issue and will expire in reshiping.The birds that are still healthy the most and recover the fasted are McMurry,And Metzer I'm the proof of good breeding and results of the passing of health to offspring.
I am curious re avian flu. The local farm from which I buy eggs is on 700 acres with the hens residing in HUGE chicken tractors and allowed to be free range in the day. They raise great Pyrenees dogs raised with the chickens. The dogs are taught to keep the hens safe from raptors. Barks from the dogs have hens running back to their "house". Wondering if being outside year round to forage keeps the hens immune systems healthier than indoor birds. Also does it have any impact that the dogs directly prevent contact with wild birds/raptors. I am in western Washington if that matters.
Stronger immune systems are great, but it is only effective up to a limited degree of potency in the illness. Even if the bird were immune, it would still be a massive danger because it can spread to other animals, including humans, and while the mortality rate in humans doesn't seem to be incredibly high, it does still exist and you should consider it when making decisions.
This is alarming. I have had poultry Since I was 9 I am 15 now. And I lost birds to a disease that is not in my books . This was a few years back now. It killed some chickens the wild doves that live in my chook shed and my ducks did not die but got very sick and at the same time my parents were fighting a lot so I spent most of my time in the chook shed and I got sick with the same thing my birds had it was not pleasant.
Been watching your videos after having a really hard time lately. I might have to move soon cause they're turning my place into a highway.... I will probably have to give away my birds and go back to the city cause i can't get a loan for a house. I'm extremely sad just thinking about losing them cause they're my pets and are awesome birds. I find your videos as a comfort stress relief. I hope none of your birds get infected with this horrible virus
The farmers are going to have start breeding in hermetically sealed separate farm locations to keep the outbreaks contained. Not one big facility. But maybe they already do this.
In theory that would make sense but they can just redefine their detector to maintain or increase profits. They have been saying this stuff for 20 years and already got rid of many flocks.
This should be a wake-up call about putting all your eggs in one basket. In recent years, fewer and fewer produ erst are responsible for food production that has two downsides. The health issues, such as the present issue with bird flu, the second is the control over consumer price. We need to have a national dialog about the food supply. The internet is interesting, but it doesn't offer deep dives into the issues that will affect what food is available and how much you pay in years to come.
I always worked in inner city ICU's but liked living in the country. I remember one winter in the early 1990s. We had a client with a severe respiratory condition. This person lived down the road from me but somehow wound. up in my inner city hospital. No matter how we treated this person he did not get better. My level 2 ICU became close to a level 4 viral lab with the infection control we put into place. All sorts of cultures were sent to Atlanta Ga. (CDC) and low and behold we had our first Avian virus. I'm one of the few in my neighborhood who does not have a small egg flock in the yard. I recall our Infection Control Dept contacting the county I live in to report the incident. Now I wonder if all my neighbors had to put down their pets. (even though the chickens lay eggs almost all of them are more like pets than farm animals) So Sad
I think I’m gonna have a good year selling goslings and goose eggs here in California, i think my pilgrims gonna be the cash crop this year, im preparing right now(well not this very minute). Got their separated pens set up and just gotta go catch em all. 5Pilgrims, 10 super Africans, and 10 of the various toulouse types including dewlaps, French, and regular. Then I got some random embers, white chinese, and last years barnyard mixes for eggs. Im keeping my birds penned up this year, no free ranging.
Why do they destroy the eggs? I have a 9 month old mallard hen as a house pet. She's like a flying toddler. I take her outside to forage once a day and there are dozens of wild mallards and geese outside where she forages. This has me thinking about maybe letting her forage in a different area.
Great Video Morgan. All my chickens were purchased from Murray. They have been excellent for decades. But AF is no joke. Its threatens open space flock operations. Food prices and supply chain issues will only get worse. Booties dipped in alcohol will be the norm.
There are many different perspectives about keeping 1000 + birds in a closed environment. Efficiency, productivity, safety, and extreme vulnerability. I grew up on a farm. Not a farm of this type of scale, thank goodness. We suffered losses from many reasons, but nothing that could affect the country.
If you practice enormous monoculture at Metzer scale, then the density and concentration of a single specie is prone to these outbreaks of disease. Sympathy to any farmer who suffers this, but it is a symptomatic of modern agriculture!
I have following this fairly close in both Canada and the USA and although I am not an expert, I am finding one thing to be strange. Cattle are considered to be a vector and the Avian influenza is only being detected in the milk. It has not been detected in beef herds. Which makes me fall back to my early training where the bird flu can't survive in cattle itself and so it is being passed out through the milk to be able to propagate itself. Interestingly, it has not been detected in dairy animals in Canada, the summer stomping grounds for most water fowl. I am not suggesting a conspiracy, but I am suggesting that somethings getting missed. But none the less, biosecurity is important. And to be honest, preventing the romanticized free ranging of birds is one of your biggest defenses along with controlling foot traffic. Add to this, the periodic deep cleaning of your coop coupled with painting with whitewash made from lye, spraying with a disinfectant and/or allowing a site to remain vacant for a long period of time are some of your best defenses. Heat and freezing with no access to birds kills the virus. I don't allow people onto my place because of it. My neighbor 1/4 mile away got it and her birds (guinea hens) were at my house but even though they had to put down the flock, mine were not affected - I didn't even get a call from the inspection agency - my birds do not free range. Although I understand their thinking in destroying flocks, I too am torn as I can agree with breeding the survivors - from my experience with another contagious disease in poultry, it can not be passed to the egg (they are not hatched infected) - much the same as a baby can be born from an HiV mother, but the baby will not have it. I have the funny feeling they are not sure about the eggs and with no money to test, they are destroying everything to err on the side of caution. Good video Sir!
Babies born to mothers with HIV, syphilis, hepatitis or many other infections have a very high incidence of also having the disease. HIV spread to the fetus from mothers can be prevented with daily medication.
I have a lot of migratory birds around me year round. our warm weather birds are currently in the south but we have some that stay year-round or come down from even colder climates. It makes me increasingly worried about avian influenza. I've seen a lot recently about the high fatality rate with it in cats which makes me honestly scared for my two house cats. I understand how important a role your barn cats play in protecting the farm, but it might be worth looking in to to ensure Pablo, Ginny, and Lil stay safe in these trying times as well.
The numbers dont add up, avian influenza has done its rounds in humans previously,recorded numbers show its very very rarely deadly..we are talking 250 ish confirmed cases in 40 years in Usa with a handful of potentially associated deaths. H1n1 is apparently among the illnesses spreading in China currently, people are repotedly sick with multiple viruses at once. Some large numbers are being treated in hospitals( it seems anyone with a fever goes to hospital) however few are dying.
Thank you for this video! I just called my family to tell them to put out traps for rodents!! We have backyard chickens, and we have roof rats in the area. We already are planning to enclose our flock for now.
It’s not only farms that raise ducks and geese but wildlife. I saw some wild life managers out at a park picking up dead ducks. This disease is the worst. I hope that someone figures a way to help.
You put the finger right on the problem. I understand the biosecurity concerns that drive the culling, but the birds that survive an outbreak should be high priority stock to breed for resistance in the future. Bird flu isn't going away, and it's already crossing into other species. We can't sit around and pretend that culling is stopping it from spreading or jumping species barriers anymore.
Agreed.
It's scary as well because it can spread through feed and infected bird meat. So in the US with the majority of our meat market coming from over crowded sources it can be so hard to stop the spread before it hits the market. I'm scared so many people will get sick before things get better. Birds with immunity should be top priority, but even that has risks of getting handlers sick before immune birds can be identified.
Agreed
💯 it’s almost like they forget natural selection and all they want to do is decrease the available bird diversity and supply
I think the worry is that survivors may be carriers, and that letting them live could lead to them infecting new birds. Kind of like how Mareks behaves.
This is a fantastic educational video. Telling the story from all perspectives, addressing the concerns with grave seriousness but without fear mongering, and expressing your own opinion and story without grandstanding. Thanks for keeping journalistic integrity alive. Wishing your farm and flock the best.
I have no poultry or waterfowl, but this was very informative. I feel so bad for the farmers who've lost their flocks
But it is going to affect you with higher chicken and eggs cost...
It is not informative, it is blatant lies from govt agents.
Thank God I received my animals from Murray McMurray hatchery, praying for all hatcheries
Same here
No one is immune.
This virus is extremely resistent and evolve constantly, so your birds aren't protected at all even if they come from somewhere else. My father had 10 chickens, and they all died from the bird flu even though they were more than 5y old and didn't have any contact with wild birds. Same for my grandparents' chickens and ducks, 43 birds died in two months even if they did everything to avoid that outcome. Between them, only 3 chickens survived, and they'll be the first to reproduce next become my grandparents and father want to create a selection of bird flu resisting chickens.
I just want to say that I'm so proud of you, dude. You work very hard and are very transparent with both your successes and mistakes. And thank you for continuing to post these videos -- it's hard work, both creating content AND farming!!! Much love from Florida ♡
WoW! MOrgan is censoring a bunch of comments that are suddenly deleted!
Agree with the producer... we should be keeping and monitoring birds that are resistant. Aren't we encouraging mutations by culling everything? Thanks for sharing!
Yup!
Cellular debris is always different like if you looked in a garbage can it would always be different. One garbage can doesn't change because of another one. They are just different because they are made of a unique combination of trash.
@@catkin-z8gwow bro you really just disproved natural selection!! you should win a nobel prize for your scientific contribution!!!!¿!!
Like EU no g away from covid
I lost my flock to avian flu almost 3 years ago we live between two ponds with our property on the river that connects the two. Wild ducks constantly over head. Wild ducks would frequently land on the property. The turkey and chickens were the first to go after the second chicken I contacted my state veterinarian and they did a complete eradication. It was completely devastating emotionally, and I haven't brought myself to get any new Birds 😞 it's no joke
Lying feds. How do you sleep at night?
Thank you for going to the trouble of bringing this to us without the sensationalism the news channels seem to bring to stories like this. Hope you guys are staying safe with the ice on the roads and such.
I live about 20 miles from Metzer. I have gone to their farm to pick up goslings in person. They're very helpful people.
All poultry and cattle shows in California have been cancelled until further notice.
I am no longer allowing my chickens to free range, and have made sure all openings into their run are screened. Unfortunately, as Mr. Metzer said, you can't control the wind in this area.
the take away from Mark is "Don't keep all your eggs in one basket"
Half my waterfowl came directly from them and I live 2 hours from their California hatchery. To keep from inbreeding I have taken an excruciatingly long time getting birds from other hatcheries or breeders with lines not associated with Metzer. I love them to death and have at least one order a year from them so I nearly broke into tears hearing those first few sentences.
As a side note, your Call duck is most likely not related to their Call Ducks as they only started selling them last year. Due to his age he most likely comes from an unrelated line. Half my Call Ducks are from them and come from both their California Hatchery and their new one, sorry forget where they are based. I'm not sure where the California one gets their eggs for Call duck, we have a lot of great show breeders here, but the ones from the new plant come from Amish farmer.
We were one of the few groups of people a few years back that had the option of getting our ordered chicks from Murray McMurray or getting a refund so they could rebuild their flocks after they were hit. We had an order that was due to ship the week after their flocks were culled. I called as soon as I heard and asked what I could do to help, they were super nice and told me I could have all my birds shipped or get a refund. I took the refund without a second thought and even offered to just let them use the funds to rebuild, the lady laughed at me and issued the refund. Later they sent me a message saying they were doing a special event for people who had their orders cancelled/ refunded. We could order before everyone else at a discount. Super nice people.
I don't think we've ever gotten birds from anywhere but Murry McMurry (have to say the whole thing every time lol) & Metzer. Going all the way back to 81/82 when I was a kid. I was glad to hear that they fared as well as possible.
They may want eggs from your flocks to replenish their flocks.
Metzer bought out several rare breed flocks that were on the verge of extinction, so those breeds will no longer have a base to expand from.
Avian flu is also extremely deadly to cats. Follow disinfection procedures for them as well
The one you are talking about was created in a lab or several labs, military connection there. It is not one of the flues that wild birds seem to pass around. This one is man made.
@magaHurricane please get mental help
I’m going to say the same thing I said on the Fit Farmer’s channel when he interviewed Metzer.
A few thoughts I’ve had for awhile and I’m not trying to fear-monger…. A big business like Metzer Farms has insurance on its birds and it is in their interest to get money for their losses instead of dealing with unclaimed losses. Those of us with small pastured poultry farms do not (yet) have insurance on our livestock. Small farms are more inclined to sustain losses, cull sick animals, and allow healthy birds to “ride out” the flu. Immunity may not be passed on to future generations of surviving birds, but strong healthy birds tend to reproduce strong healthy birds! Also, survivors are less likely to get the flu again. Small farms are also more likely to have other species beyond poultry. After hearing of farms that had their pigs, cows AND birds “depopulated” after Bird flu was found… small farmers are LESS-inclined to invite a veterinarian or USDA inspector onto the farm to investigate a sick animal. They are more likely to cull the sick animals themselves in attempts to spare the majority of farm animals. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but this bird flu is starting to make more sense to me when I just think about money. The widest publicized cases in my state of Oregon have been a factory egg farm killing 150,000 birds in a building after an EMPLOYEE was found to have a mild case of bird flu (no sick birds), and also a small homestead with a bird flu infected pig where the pig and flock of chickens were all killed. Veterinarians have to follow the law and really cannot think for themselves on this. I’m just praying for the health of all of our animals and hope this isn’t a case of a pharmaceutical company wanting to sell vaccines by leaking a lab virus.
I agree.
H5N1 and variants have been around since the '90s. It has just recently become highly pathogenic with a human mortality rate of 52%.
@@leoniebelcher1680 But the human mortality rate here in the states is nowhere near that. We've had 60+ confirmed mild cases and one death (when I checked about a week ago). So 52%, I think, reflects numbers from Chine and SE Asia where they really didn't have the resources to test, and so the majority of cases went completely undetected. If all you see are the severe cases that land in the hospital in significant distress, and the mild ones never present, that skews the numbers hard. 1 out of 60+ is a less than 2% death rate, thus far. Not that a 2% death rate is a happy thing, don't get me wrong. It's just a heck of a lot better than 50-60% that I normally see thrown around for the bird flu. But yes, it's been around a long time. Just more virulent now.
@@leoniebelcher1680i thought one person . Out of how many millionpeople .where’s your source for that number🤔
I think the USDA is full of nazis
Thank you for this video. I'm so sorry for Metzer. Heartbreaking.
The stark head of monocultures rears it's head. With so few producers in the meat industry, and the need to save face for something that could be no one's fault this is why I am so afraid of the food industry deregulation that could soon be coming. Large political influence in rural states, almost total self inspection, mega factories for processing is not a good mix.
You are right, NO PUN INTENDED but the big producers ( of all our food) are putting all the eggs in one basket. Diversity is the key.
Deregulation will swifly lead to diversification as smaller producers will more readily be able to compete.
We have HIGH regulations right now and our food system is super messed up. More regulations are NOT the answer.
@@stephennass3840 Smart regulation can keep the baby of public interest while throwing away the bathwater of big corporate exclusivity. I don't doubt that what are supposed to be liberal measures have been taken over by big corporate interests to gain dominance.
@@stephennass3840 Government has too much control over business. They answer to the big corporate ones.
@@stephennass3840 So the market solves every problem just that easily right?
Think again.
What completion will you get when all the big ag regulation is wiped out, particularly the laws concerning mergers and acquisitions?
Yep. Huge problem in australia for over 6 months. I can barely get eggs anymore. Every time I go shopping, the egg section is empty.
I live in a little trailer court and I have a closed in run and coop for my chickens. I haven't gotten any chickens the last couple of years. I only lost 1 bird in the last year and that was one of my oldest chickens . I still have 1 from my original flick and she is around 9 years old.
I watched another interview with Metzer, It was so heartbreaking, the worry is real. It is devastating to farms, especially if its their livelihood.Great to see you in todays video Mogan! Flock looks great!
It's NOT just bird flu bouncing around out there. I lost eleven snakes, ELEVEN, and each a beloved pet, in 6 horrific weeks to serpentovirus last Autumn! DEVASTATED. It's 2020 again around here as far as quarantine protocalls are concerned.
That's news.
Sorry for your loss. One of my hognose drowned in August. It was upsetting to check on my babies after work and find her lethargic next to her water and rubbing her head. Water was coming out of her nostrils and mouth.
I’ve been ordering from metzer and McMurry for almost 10 years, I agree, they are great, top tier hatcheries.
My supermarket today had zero eggs, other than the pasturized ones in half pint containers. There were some last week, but prices were sky high. It goes right down the food chain and is a VERY strong argument for decentalization (which Metzer thought of too, thankfully). Also, it might be worth it to let some birds live through instead of culling and breed from the survivors. Metzer thought of that too, but now we need to get the government to go that way and find a way to keep it out of the cattle and away from US.
I bought eggs yesterday. 4-5 bucks per dozen. My brain is still used to 99 cent per dozen from 2017 prices. Hubs was doing all the shopping for a few years, so all the price hikes shocked me. Too bad my wages haven't kept up.
@@calamity0.o yep, pricing sucks now like I'm in Canada you would think with how much beef we produce it would be cheaper but no it's crazy
I love Cackle Hatchery. They are so easy to work with. The best customer service.
Such sad news…Metzer was my original, years ago by now (other than hatching myself) source for my ducks & geese! I am sure Metzer folks are taking the best precautions in spite of nature taking is course. Thanks for the guidance - very helpful! Take good care.
I raised runner ducks for years and some geese and I got them from metzer farm! This is sad, they ran a great operation!
Mahalo for making this video, Morgan, without the fear mongering and with all the common sense! I have a backyard flock in Hawaii, about 60 chickens and just one duck, but we get a lot of migratory birds here, so it's scary!
Thank you for doing this video, Morgan, keep yourself and your flocks safe.!
We had a rather significant impact on one of our local zoos here in Arizona (Wildlife World Zoo).
They reported that: “In December 2024, the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Litchfield Park, Arizona, experienced an avian flu outbreak that killed five animals and exposed more than 25 employees. The animals that died included a cheetah, mountain lion, swamphen, kookaburra, and an Indian goose. A white tiger also tested positive but was expected to recover”.
I do not get how big cats could die from avian influenza
Bird flu has been spreading here in Iceland as well, a couple of cats have also been infected and sadly had to be put down
Same here in Shetland. In 2023 you saw a lot of dead birds washing up on the shore. No cats though.
😢
@@skorrie3849 it's apparently getting pretty bad in Reykjavík where, in one instance, 19 geese were found deceased in a body of water. People there have been advised to keep their cats inside and to not let dogs close to sick birds/carcasses.
😢
Thank this government for
MAN-ufacturing this
Just like the fires and the plan-demic
Thanks for the avian flu info!
It makes me think of when foot and mouth disease struck in All Creatures Great and Small (the books or og show). Culling the entire herd, quarantine, paperwork, catastrophic loss for the farmers
Fantastic discussion and interview.
Thanks for this!
Yahoo! Congrats Morgan and Alison. You and your animals, birds stay well and safe. Having a rotten Summer here in NZ. Wet and much cooler. Oh well, at least all is well.😊😊❤❤
I purchase from Murray McMurray. I think they are great. Super service. Super birds!
We purchased 1 goose and 6 cayugas five years ago from metzer.. we live in NYS and these birds arrived in our local post office in 1 day...how is that even possible. ..nice healthy birds. Great farm!
I am so glad to hear that Metzer has a lot of different farms. I was really worried about them. They certainly aren’t bird brains, lol
the scientific farmer thinking ways to breed the resistant birds, Poor Richards always have been doing natural science.
Your chickens are the healthiest! My parents and grandparents and great great great great grandparents all had chickens, and your chickens just by looking at them are HEALTHY! Don't kill your chickens!
Interesting conversations, Thank You Morgan! Very sorry for the losses and this breakout of bird flu......💛💚💙💛
Morgan - cats are extremely susceptible to avian flu and the mortality rate is 60%. You need to do everything you can to keep your barn kitties safe which means reducing their exposure to wild birds.
FYI, dairy workers who contract bird flu from cows to date have had a mild form, resulting in pink eye, cough, diarrhea, vomiting and other flu like symptoms. Raw milk infected with bid flu has proved deadly for felines and sicked a child in Marin County, CA. triggering a recall of raw milk.
That child did not have bird flu. Look it up. I live in CA.
I'm from the Salinas Valley, my nephew and his family live in Gonzales, where Metzer Farms is located. Salinas Valley winds "breathe". They travel eastward, off the ocean at night and travel westward in the morning, so many birds would follow the path of least resistance and flow with the winds. I would blame the seagulls and sparrows for spreading the Avian Flu the most. The seagulls would have brought it from Asia and spread it around their population. However they traveled, seagulls would have brought it to the West Coast, to California. At Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey Bay, you can often see the sparrows and blackbirds fighting for the scraps the seagulls leave behind. On rainy days, the seagulls would fly inland to schools and parking lots. Now, even more birds would be contaminated (birds I've personally seen in the area); robins, starlings, blue jays, red tail hawks (every movie bald eagle sound you hear is actually from red tails), ground owls, sparrows and blackbirds who never traveled to the ocean, and now the swallows I often saw roosting around dairy farms. We've already heard about dairy cattle having Avian Flu. This is a natural process of the disease traveling around the world through birds. Pretty sure every place on earth will have/had it at some point. There is no stopping it. Even if we had a cure, we can't vaccinate every bird in the world. Avian Flu/Influenza (they're the same thing) is similar to the Human Flu; there are several different strains, they mutate over time, they keep showing up year over year. Finding birds who are resistant or, hopefully, immune, is the only way to deal with it, but there has been this huge knee-jerk reaction to kill every farmed or pet bird who has it to stop it from crossing over into a Human pandemic. As long as pet birds are isolated or kept indoors and, for food birds, we cook the eggs and bird products all the way through, other animals and humans won't contract it. Dairy cow milk just needs to be pasteurized (cooked) and it's safe. It's debatable if anyone should be setting out bird feed or feeding wild animals in the parks. About half the people who have reportedly contracted Avian Flu have died from it--but what about the numbers of people who did NOT get so sick as to seek a doctor? We have no clue about those numbers. Maybe this should be investigated.
❤
If the wild birds in parks and cities are reliant on humans leaving out food for them because their natural food sources have been removed to make way for human infrastructure, then taking that food source away is only going to cause more bird deaths. Wether directly from starvation, or because a bird that may otherwise have pulled through, didn't have the energy to recover from flu without food.
Hey! GSF. I left FB a while ago and that it is where I would see your videos I have missed you all. And here you are. 😊 Sorry about this bird flu for all. I hope that you and your flocks and family stay safe.
My birds came from wild feral flocks. I have never seen any of them get sick from a flu.
Thank you for sharing this information. It’s so sad to lose an entire flock.
Well done, Morgan, for explaining in plain simple language the extent of the damage to not just the USA's poultry AND WILD BIRDS TOO but the whole of the World BIrd population. Hence the higher cost's of eggs and poultry to the purchaser. And the lack of stock on Supermarket shelves
Sad even here in B C Canada there killing off Bird Farms due to the flu,
Thank you Morgan for the insightful videos. I always enjoy your videos.
You and Metzer farm went above and beyond with this video, Morgan. As newly budding farmers, we had no idea how serious this could get. Thank you for the education and be safe - Dakota & Angela
Love to see Ralph scurrying around 😂
Morgan, what is the recovery for this? How long until you can bring animals back onto previously contaminated locations?
You do know that the government wants to shut down farms
Thanks for explaining it for us so well!!
This is really good to know, I was trying to get a goose, some muscovoy and a few more cayuga this year. 😩 Maybe wise to wait.
Cows used to be fed feather meal, are they still doing this? Maybe that is how it jumped to cattle.
No, but there is no need for it, most barns have enough access and atraction for birds to want to live there. And since they'll roost up high, their droppings end up in the cows feed or water.
After what happened to their farm, what're the decontamination steps they do? Just curious what rebuilding looks like to them.
That would be a good video to make. Let people not only see what is needed to raise awareness, but to help smaller farmers prepare so they can get to decontamination right away and minimize spreads if birdflu is found on their property. Fast action can save lives and slow spread
Start listening at seven minutes in. He begins talking about what safety measures they took.
@@flockofone9214 Where did they talk about decontaminating the space after it's been affected? They only talked about precautions, not neutralization
Thank you for this explanation!
Thanks for the good information.
I work with a bunch of virologists, epidemiologists, infectious disease researchers. These were the folks I listened to during the pandemic because they were on the front line. I remember hearing them talk about the fear of avian influenza doing what covid did. So I totally understand why the protocol is total destruction of any bird (or egg) that might be infected. But as I bird owner (chickens and ducks) it would be devastating to have to destroy my animals.
A very informative video! Fingers crossed for you and your flok Morgan.
Such a tragedy!! I pray they get back on their feet again, cos they have great birds !!
I used to have birds from the same place🙁 So sad. Never would have known without hearing it from Morgan.
Thanks for covering this topic.
Shows how vunerable our food is to such things.
Our two geese came from Metzer. Its good they have backups.
Kia Ora & Good Afternoon from NZ ...just happened here in NZ in Dec 2024!!!
Thanks for telling us all about the bird flu, I know that you talked a little bit about this. I don't have any birds, it's great to know what to do though.
MARY IN FLA Im a non native bird rescue .I have picked up chick and ducklings that incountered shipping issue and will expire in reshiping.The birds that are still healthy the most and recover the fasted are McMurry,And Metzer I'm the proof of good breeding and results of the passing of health to offspring.
I am curious re avian flu. The local farm from which I buy eggs is on 700 acres with the hens residing in HUGE chicken tractors and allowed to be free range in the day. They raise great Pyrenees dogs raised with the chickens. The dogs are taught to keep the hens safe from raptors. Barks from the dogs have hens running back to their "house".
Wondering if being outside year round to forage keeps the hens immune systems healthier than indoor birds. Also does it have any impact that the dogs directly prevent contact with wild birds/raptors. I am in western Washington if that matters.
The birds would still get it from infected poop. Their immune systems might be a bit stronger but that won’t stop them from getting infected.
Stronger immune systems are great, but it is only effective up to a limited degree of potency in the illness. Even if the bird were immune, it would still be a massive danger because it can spread to other animals, including humans, and while the mortality rate in humans doesn't seem to be incredibly high, it does still exist and you should consider it when making decisions.
I wish the general public had a better understanding of avian flu (and egg prices)
This is alarming. I have had poultry Since I was 9 I am 15 now. And I lost birds to a disease that is not in my books . This was a few years back now. It killed some chickens the wild doves that live in my chook shed and my ducks did not die but got very sick and at the same time my parents were fighting a lot so I spent most of my time in the chook shed and I got sick with the same thing my birds had it was not pleasant.
Been watching your videos after having a really hard time lately. I might have to move soon cause they're turning my place into a highway.... I will probably have to give away my birds and go back to the city cause i can't get a loan for a house. I'm extremely sad just thinking about losing them cause they're my pets and are awesome birds. I find your videos as a comfort stress relief. I hope none of your birds get infected with this horrible virus
The farmers are going to have start breeding in hermetically sealed separate farm locations to keep the outbreaks contained. Not one big facility. But maybe they already do this.
thank you for sharing
It's flipin obvious breed from the survivors.
How else does resistance grow? The survivors breed
In theory that would make sense but they can just redefine their detector to maintain or increase profits. They have been saying this stuff for 20 years and already got rid of many flocks.
This should be a wake-up call about putting all your eggs in one basket. In recent years, fewer and fewer produ erst are responsible for food production that has two downsides. The health issues, such as the present issue with bird flu, the second is the control over consumer price. We need to have a national dialog about the food supply. The internet is interesting, but it doesn't offer deep dives into the issues that will affect what food is available and how much you pay in years to come.
I always worked in inner city ICU's but liked living in the country. I remember one winter in the early 1990s. We had a client with a severe respiratory condition. This person lived down the road from me but somehow wound. up in my inner city hospital. No matter how we treated this person he did not get better. My level 2 ICU became close to a level 4 viral lab with the infection control we put into place. All sorts of cultures were sent to Atlanta Ga. (CDC) and low and behold we had our first Avian virus. I'm one of the few in my neighborhood who does not have a small egg flock in the yard. I recall our Infection Control Dept contacting the county I live in to report the incident. Now I wonder if all my neighbors had to put down their pets. (even though the chickens lay eggs almost all of them are more like pets than farm animals) So Sad
I think I’m gonna have a good year selling goslings and goose eggs here in California, i think my pilgrims gonna be the cash crop this year, im preparing right now(well not this very minute). Got their separated pens set up and just gotta go catch em all. 5Pilgrims, 10 super Africans, and 10 of the various toulouse types including dewlaps, French, and regular. Then I got some random embers, white chinese, and last years barnyard mixes for eggs. Im keeping my birds penned up this year, no free ranging.
When England had an outbreak in 2022 anyone who kept poultry had to keep their birds in for 3 months.
Why do they destroy the eggs? I have a 9 month old mallard hen as a house pet. She's like a flying toddler. I take her outside to forage once a day and there are dozens of wild mallards and geese outside where she forages. This has me thinking about maybe letting her forage in a different area.
I think the fear is that it could jump to humans who don’t fully cook the eggs. It’s extremely deadly when this happens.
Great Video Morgan. All my chickens were purchased from Murray. They have been excellent for decades. But AF is no joke. Its threatens open space flock operations. Food prices and supply chain issues will only get worse. Booties dipped in alcohol will be the norm.
Morgan: your ducks come from there too
Me: i only have a cat, but im suspicious
There are many different perspectives about keeping 1000 + birds in a closed environment. Efficiency, productivity, safety, and extreme vulnerability. I grew up on a farm. Not a farm of this type of scale, thank goodness. We suffered losses from many reasons, but nothing that could affect the country.
This is very important for us to know, thank you for sharing!
If you practice enormous monoculture at Metzer scale, then the density and concentration of a single specie is prone to these outbreaks of disease.
Sympathy to any farmer who suffers this, but it is a symptomatic of modern agriculture!
I have following this fairly close in both Canada and the USA and although I am not an expert, I am finding one thing to be strange. Cattle are considered to be a vector and the Avian influenza is only being detected in the milk. It has not been detected in beef herds. Which makes me fall back to my early training where the bird flu can't survive in cattle itself and so it is being passed out through the milk to be able to propagate itself. Interestingly, it has not been detected in dairy animals in Canada, the summer stomping grounds for most water fowl. I am not suggesting a conspiracy, but I am suggesting that somethings getting missed. But none the less, biosecurity is important. And to be honest, preventing the romanticized free ranging of birds is one of your biggest defenses along with controlling foot traffic. Add to this, the periodic deep cleaning of your coop coupled with painting with whitewash made from lye, spraying with a disinfectant and/or allowing a site to remain vacant for a long period of time are some of your best defenses. Heat and freezing with no access to birds kills the virus. I don't allow people onto my place because of it. My neighbor 1/4 mile away got it and her birds (guinea hens) were at my house but even though they had to put down the flock, mine were not affected - I didn't even get a call from the inspection agency - my birds do not free range. Although I understand their thinking in destroying flocks, I too am torn as I can agree with breeding the survivors - from my experience with another contagious disease in poultry, it can not be passed to the egg (they are not hatched infected) - much the same as a baby can be born from an HiV mother, but the baby will not have it. I have the funny feeling they are not sure about the eggs and with no money to test, they are destroying everything to err on the side of caution. Good video Sir!
Babies born to mothers with HIV, syphilis, hepatitis or many other infections have a very high incidence of also having the disease. HIV spread to the fetus from mothers can be prevented with daily medication.
@@SillyGrandma99 It can happen yes, but the reverse is also true. And I suspect this is why they are destroying the eggs as well. Total uncertainty.
I have a lot of migratory birds around me year round. our warm weather birds are currently in the south but we have some that stay year-round or come down from even colder climates. It makes me increasingly worried about avian influenza. I've seen a lot recently about the high fatality rate with it in cats which makes me honestly scared for my two house cats. I understand how important a role your barn cats play in protecting the farm, but it might be worth looking in to to ensure Pablo, Ginny, and Lil stay safe in these trying times as well.
Your correct about half my flock of ducks and geese come from Metzer. I had been wanting to order more from them.
"got my Tennecities mixed up" 😂
My birds came from them too.
The numbers dont add up, avian influenza has done its rounds in humans previously,recorded numbers show its very very rarely deadly..we are talking 250 ish confirmed cases in 40 years in Usa with a handful of potentially associated deaths. H1n1 is apparently among the illnesses spreading in China currently, people are repotedly sick with multiple viruses at once. Some large numbers are being treated in hospitals( it seems anyone with a fever goes to hospital) however few are dying.
Tennecities! HA! Love it.
GOOD THING WE ARE IN CANADA
Oh no! They're the premier hatchery. They often carry "rare breeds" like the west Indies.
If you are taking birds to and from shows, set up a quarantine area for when you get back.
They can’t go back to your dock until they are clear
You are so close to a million subscribers!!!
I love metzer farms, this year they added turkeys! But they ain’t gonna have pilgrim geese at all as far as I know… but I will ;)
Thank you for this video! I just called my family to tell them to put out traps for rodents!! We have backyard chickens, and we have roof rats in the area. We already are planning to enclose our flock for now.
It’s not only farms that raise ducks and geese but wildlife. I saw some wild life managers out at a park picking up dead ducks. This disease is the worst. I hope that someone figures a way to help.