Avian flu brings uncertainty to Laughing Owl
We had planned to order broilers to pasture-raise in a few weeks but not sure if that is possible yet.The state of North Carolina has banned chicken sales due to the Avian flu.
We do not show or auction chickens, but I am not sure if the ban applies to us.
I understand the reasoning, we’re a a huge poultry producing state. But from the outbreaks in the Midwest, Avian flu seems limited to large scale confinement operations where the chickens are immune-deficient due to their living standards.
The main impetus in this ban is that migrating waterfowl ( ducks and geese) may spread Avian flu. Huh? There is no ban on duck and geese sales.
Anyone with a rudimentry knowledge of waterfowl flyways knows that the ducks and geese that migrate through North Carolina do not fly through the Midwest.
Could Avian flu show up here? Sure. And maybe one day I’ll be driving a Prius 4-wheel drive pick-up truck.
Neither one is likely though...
Dean Mullis writes from Laughing Owl Farm in Richfield.
This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Avian flu brings uncertainty to Laughing Owl."