City chicks

Beloved pets

Will the risk of bird flu dampen the growing enthusiasm for pet hens kept in back gardens?

Fewer homes now keep animals, but one type of pet is bucking the trend - the hen. In the past few years, the number of urban and suburban dwellers keeping chickens in the garden has grown. Hen-keeping courses fill up weeks in advance, and sales of poultry books and magazines are up.

The birds are popular among townies keen to get closer to nature, but the possible threat of bird flu has brought nature a little too close for comfort.

Message boards are buzzing with questions and advice about prevention, and, if worst comes to worst, containment. Many say that although they know how to minimise the risk to their birds and their families, neighbours who once gladly accepted freshly-laid eggs now view their pets with suspicion.

ADVICE TO HEN-KEEPERS Check Defra website for advice This will say if and when to move birds under cover Keep food and water away from wild birds and animals Check birds regularly, contact vet at first sign of illness Wash hands after handling birds and equipment Use pet disinfectant to clean coops and food containers Frontline fight against bird flu

One poster on the Practical Poultry website tells how the children's zoo at his work has been offered a family's pet ducks and hens because their neighbours are scared the birds will give them avian flu.

Johannes Paul of Omlet, makers of the hi-tech eglu chicken runs which have been credited with helping to boost the hobby, says his company advises customers to regularly check the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website and to be vigilant for signs of illness in their birds.

"But it is extremely unlikely that an infected Canada goose will land in your garden. If it does spread here, the stereotypical British housewife will come into her own and barricade the hens to keep them safe."

Far from sales falling off, interest remains high as people inquire about giving hens as Christmas presents, he says.

Numbers game

To keep tabs on the possible spread of bird flu, the government and the farmers' union have suggested a poultry register.

Like a lot of people we keep poultry, and good biosecurity is important in preventing disease Dr Debby Reynolds

But officials will have quite a job finding these pets. Figures on how many people keep chickens in their gardens are hard to come by, with estimates ranging from 200,000 to Defra's figure of 500,000 - among them government chief vet Dr Debby Reynolds.

"Like a lot of people we keep poultry, and good biosecurity, such as feeding and watering the chickens inside their coop, is important in preventing disease," she told the Magazine. "A new leaflet for poultry owners like us is being produced [see below]. This will be invaluable for small and non-commercial poultry keepers."

Then there are those who keep ducks and geese as pets. It's thought that just 6% of the UK's poultry owners - including farmers - are known to Defra.

LEAFLET FOR HEN-KEEPERS Government guidance (3.9MB) Most computers open PDF files automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader Download the reader here

Should a register be introduced, hen-keepers may be reluctant to sign up because of the risk that their birds may be culled.

Pet owners have been put in this position in the past. During 2001's foot-and-mouth outbreak, there were a few - but well-publicised - cases of pet sheep, goats and pigs being put down in preventative culls.

Kirstin McBride, of Dumfries, was convicted of assaulting two police officers after she came home to find her pet goat dead in the driveway (the court gave her an absolute discharge, saying the case was wholly exceptional).

It is just such a scenario that hen-keepers hope will not be repeated.

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Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

I have 11 free range hens in a large enclosure open at the top to wild birds, who are in there stealing food every day. We live on the edge of a huge National Trust wetland habitat, with a large range of migratory species visiting throughout the year. I am extremely fond of these chickens, some of which we have raised from eggs, and my kids love them to bits. But if an order comes out from Defra, I will submit to the cull. Anything else would be wholly irresponsible.
Alex, Swansea

We have two chickens, Dora and Henrietta, which we keep in the back garden in an eglu. We've only had them 3 months and are concerned about the potential spread of avian flu and mutation to a human disease. We only have a small garden and are rarely visited by birds so I suppose the risk is low. It would be a shame to cull them - our daughters would be distraught!
Shaun, Liverpool

We have a small flock of chickens, as do several neighbours. They are healthy and we have the huge benefit of fresh eggs. If necessary we can cover their run over, but if bird flu stikes this area - will this protect them, I don't think so. We are not registered, and unless someone mandates registration by law, we won't register. If it mutates to a human-to-human spread, the risk from other people will be much higher than the risk from my few birds.
Liz, Herts, UK

This brought back a crazy memory. When I was growing up near Glasgow, we had a pet cockerel. We lived in an old 3-storey fixer-upper of a house that Mum and Dad had bought cheaply after the war and were renovating. Our kids' bedroom had an old mantelpiece and that's where the cockerel would roost. Every morning he crowed for all he was worth. Enclosed in a room, the sound deafened us.
Bernadette Cahill, Cincinnati, Ohio, US

We have hens in our garden, they're my brother's. I've given him information from Soil Association site and Defra which he is following. To be honest it's things he's been doing since he got them anyway.
Amanda, Strood, Kent

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