One way or the other

[greenstorm]

I let the geese out the other day. Avian flu is still an issue; we need to cover our birds and exclude even tiny birds from their enclosures to keep them from getting sick. If they're sick, they all get destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading.

At the same time I live in the north. The geese get locked up over winter. Geese are basically grass, a battery that stores that first flush of green in the form of fat over the winter. With so long away from grass it's important they go into that winter in the best of health.

The first flush of good grass is full of protein and sugar. After that it starts to have more and more undigestible fibre. This is the time for geese to get the food they need; grass in July or August is substantially different up here.

So both ways is a gamble: if I keep them in they can have a very tough winter or if I let them out they can get this disease and die or be destroyed.

There are folks with chickens within several houses of me but not immediately adjacent. If my birds get infected those others are at risk.

If I had an even slightly longer grass season or an easier winter or an immediate neighbour with birds I would be making different choices. If I was still seeing lots of migratory birds coming through I would be making different decisions. I'm not confident in this one and I am not recommending it. It's what I'm doing, though.

Tough decisions.

Comments

[elusiveat]

[fingers crossed] Really hope they don't get sick.

[greenstorm]

Thank you, me too.