Hey chicken people! Back a couple years ago when there were

[hedgehog]

minor flares of bird flu in the Far East, wasn't there some talk by the Bush administration of seizing and destroying backyard flocks? I think there was also some talk of having to register every bird. Of course, commercial flocks were exempt because those birds were kept isolated. Notice how this time around, when there is a pandemic, no one is talking about the hazard of small flocks of chickens?

[Recursion]

1. It's called the NAIS

And it's backed by Conagra, Monsanto, Perdue, and every other ne'er-do-well in agribusiness, but enough pressure was exerted by small farmers to keep it from being (yet) mandatory federally.

[hedgehog]

3. My memory is that big argibusiness and the Bush administration tried to use

scare tactics to eliminate small farmers and backyard poultry keepers. I was concerned at the time lest my neighbors get panicky about my flock of hens. These same companies are now fighting inspection of ground beef. Amazing but true!:eyes:

[damntexdem]

2. Well, for one thing in this go around, it would have to be flocks of swine, not chickens.

;-)

But I'm sure the big agricorps would be right on board with this -- even though they apparently started the problem.

[hedgehog]

4. I guess you're right about H1N1 being associated in the public mind

with pigs. I think it has pieces of swine, avian and human viruses mixed together. Last time around, I kept seeing film of people slaughtering poultry in Hong Kong and all over Thailand. There was also a lot of talk about flocks of migratory water fowl mixing on their summer grounds in the Arctic and then bringing the viruses back to Europe. As it happened, I think the virus hop-scotched its way down the old Silk Road more or less until it reached Poland or Ukraine. I live in a major fly way (under a major flyway?) and have to keep an eye out for hungry hawks every Spring and Fall. I see sparrows grabbing some feed from time to time. WHat would really set the neighbors off is if a crow landed and fell over dead!

[kestrel91316]

5. Probably because H1N1 doesn't affect chickens. Virology 101.

[dhpgetsit]

6. Not only do my neighbor and I have chickens...

He keeps a Potbelly Pig!!!

RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!