AN environmental warden is determined to help stop the spread of a deadly bird disease - even if it means ruffling some feathers.

A virulent strain of avian flu - deadly to most birds - is spreading through the country, with a case confirmed in Settle, North Yorkshire, last month.

A UK-wide ‘prevention zone’, designed to stop pet birds or poultry from coming into contact with wild birds, is in force until the end of February.

It means people have to keep poultry or pet birds housed or otherwise separate from wild birds, as well as disinfecting footwear and equipment regularly.

But Mark Scrimshaw, environmental warden for Baildon Town Council, says he fears the message may not be getting through to everyone.

Mark says he has been working with allotment holders on two sites in Baildon to make sure anyone with poultry is aware of the situation.

But he says he understands some people with flocks in back-yards may either be unaware of the rules or may not be sticking to them.

He says: “The big gripe amongst poultry keepers is that confining them isn’t particularly good for their welfare.

“Also, if they are kept inside, in a hut, you are forever having to go in and clean them out, which is awkward.”

Mark, a former chicken-keeper himself, says wild birds such as ducks and geese are believed to be spreading the disease, so it might only take droppings from geese flying overhead to infect a back-yard flock.

He says: “It’s no doubt awkward, and you may not want your hens to be all crammed in.

“But I’m sure you would rather them be crammed in for a few weeks than wake up to find half of them dead, and by the end of the day they are all dead.”

While bird flu can in rare cases be transmitted to humans, public health experts say the risk to people is very low and there is no risk from eating poultry.

The big risk is to the birds themselves - so many people who keep chickens as pets have been working hard to keep their flocks safe.

One person eager to abide by the new rules is Wilsden chicken owner Neil Whitaker, who became an internet sensation around a decade ago when he set up HenCam, a website featuring 24-hour footage of his feathered friends.

The website is still running and attracting visitors from around the world.

Neil, a 46-year-old web developer, says since the restrictions came in, his nine hens have been confined to their run in his back garden.

He says: “Whereas before the restrictions we’d have let the hens out whilst we’re out and about in the garden - they enjoy ‘helping’ by pecking for worms as you do a bit of gardening - the restrictions mean they must remain kept inside their coop until the end of February.

“To minimise the risk of contamination we are doing what we can to keep wild birds away from our hens - this means keeping the hens ‘cooped up’ in their run, and even means we’ve stopped putting wild bird feed out as we don’t want to encourage them into the garden.”

Neil says for viewers of HenCam, the restrictions have been a benefit, as the chickens are always in front of the cameras, but the birds themselves are less pleased with the arrangement.

He says: “The hens hate it! They all have different personalities and we have to make sure they have mental stimulation otherwise they will get bored, leading to feather-pecking and fights.

“I’ve been putting extra treats out for them, they like a broccoli hanging from string as they take turns jumping and pecking it.

“As long as we keep them entertained, they seem to handle being stuck in the run fine and are still laying lots of eggs.

“It doesn’t make life too difficult but I don’t like to see the hens miserable when they’d rather be digging our garden up!”

Neil says while he may never fully stop wild birds from getting into the coop - HenCam viewers have spotted wild birds in there before, he says - it is important to abide by the rules.

He says: “We should support the restrictions - they are only temporary and for the benefit of all our flocks around the country.

“If they help prevent just one case of bird flu spreading to someone’s pet then it’s worth it.”

For more information about the bird flu restrictions, visit www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-winter-2016-to-2017.

Members of the public who spot dead wild birds should report this to Defra via a hotline, 03459 33 55 77.

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