Sad to see no comments about the latest update from DEFRA.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-fluI was hoping to let mine out at the end of the Month (I'm just inside one of those random high risk areas) but the new rules continue the Prevention Zone controls with no end date in sight.
I suffer from mental health issues and getting my two chickens was supposed to help with that, and it did. However it looks increasingly likely that the only sensible thing for me to do is get rid of them as rather than improve my mental health, imprisoning them like this has only stressed both them and me (just imagine two chickens crying for hours on end and pacing up and down getting increasingly agitated, especially when it's sunny - they just want to be out exploring the world). I've not been able to pick them up for months and they used to love knocking on the door with their beaks to be let in to say hello to me and have a treat. My garden is quite small, and half of it has been netted since the restrictions. Needless to say that half is now bereft of any grass and other vegetation so needs replanting. They are used to free ranging outside the garden, at this rate keeping them in the other half of the garden and that will need replanting by the end of the summer. It's totally impractical.
And anyway, the prevention zone controls are unworkable. The garden is the way into and out of the house. Does one really think the postman is going to use foot baths and a boot brush? Use a scarecrow to keep wild birds away? Are they mad? I live in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by fields and woods, there are thousands of birds here. When I have the door open in the warm weather they even fly in and out the house all the time, which is wonderful!
Also, it doesn't matter if the garden gate is closed, the chickens will still jump over it to go where they want if I let them out of the netted area. So what option do I have but continue to keep them imprisoned? I have to think of both my mental health and the quality of life of the chickens and as I say, at this rate the only logical thing to do would be top get rid of them.
Is this prevention Zone now a permanent thing or not? The DEFRA website gives no clues as to how long these stupid restrictions are to last. . .