I shit you not… within twenty minutes of sending an email saying I was increasingly worried about bird flu, I got the heads up that it’s here.
Confirmed in my town, ten minutes away (source is valid, trust me on that – but I won’t say more because I appreciate being kept in the loop).
The general advice is to keep wild birds away.. Um good luck with that.
Same with ‘securing water sources’ where they gather – honestly, I’d love to know if anyone that writes this stuff has ever actually seen how nature works.
Do they propose we errect a giant bird proof dome? FFS 🙄
Anyhoo – I have several big waterholes and free range ducks & geese.
Herbal woo-woo for Bird Flu
First up – please know that I prefer my animals alive.
If I had access to a vaccine or there was a known cure, I’d be makind dust trails to get access… but neither are available right now.
This is the protocol I’m using for my flock. I’ve got no idea if it will work – but I’ll be fucked if I watch them get wiped out while shrugging my shoulders and saying ‘Oh well..can’t be helped’
The mortality rate for H1N5 is alarmingly high – and from what I’ve seen on the news, their death looks bloody awful.
What I’m using…
Oregano:
This bad boy’s active compounds have demonstrated antiviral activity against H5N1 in lab models – but it’s worth knowing that no controlled trials in waterfowl exist yet.
Luckily I have a shit tonne of oregano oil. It’s pretty pungent – and I expected they’d hate it. Recommendations are 1-2 drops per litre in their water – but I have a LOT of animals and absolutely was not going to measure – so I just splashed it in and watched.
To my absolute joy, they didn’t hate it… weirdly opposite. They did a lot of drinking and full face dunking.. I’ll put that as a win.
Aloe:
Aloe’s active workhorse (acemannan) has been demonstrated in multiple studies for avian viral diseases. It produces a rapid and lasting activation of macrophage immune responses.
It’s one of the few herbal tools with direct poultry evidence. Yay.
Worth mentioning here that all aloes are NOT equal. Most of the shitty supermarket stuff is basically green jelly – made from powdered low grade garbage. If you don’t grow it yourself – suggest sourcing from https://www.aloeveraaustralia.com.au/
Turmeric, curcumin & quercetin:
Turmeric.. I know, I know – we all want to throw cut lunches at the turmeric army… Believe me, I get it.
But for a few years I’ve been on the ‘Cellular Gold’ bandwagon. It’s expensive AF.. but holy fuck it works. It’s an equine supplement made from high grade, bucket staining, powerful stuff.
It’s 95% curcumin with the tedious activators included (black pepper, MCT, bromelain) which is fantastic for anti-inflammatory support. Honestly, this stuff is the shit – it works just as well as bute for my nags sometimes.
For birds, the quercetin adds a bonus antiviral and mast cell-stabilising layer. It targets the cytokine-driven inflammation that kills birds in advanced H5N1 – so yes, thank you – glad I’ve got it on hand.
Worth mentioning that this supplement is for horses – NOT marketed for birds.. but good botanicals are good botanicals.
Suggest sourcing from https://axlr8equine.com.au/ – most turmeric supplements contain around 5% curcumin, this stuff is 95% curcumin – which explains the price.
Worth it in my humble…
Duckingham Palace
How much fun are curve balls?
I spent a lot of time this winter prepping this area for a new herb bed. Cos ya know, herbs are how I earn a crust.
The perimeter was already fenced and I thought a perfect spot for more medicinal herbs… I cant tell you how many fucking wheelbarrows of mulch and compost were wheeled in here in the last few months.
But when bird flu arrived and I needed more fox proof spaces, I covered my ‘money makers’ in chicken wire instead.
Yay.
