FAQs – bird flu (avian influenza)

Am I allowed to inoculate my backyard chickens against bird flue?
No, you are not. Until further notice, inoculation against bird flu is generally forbidden in the EU. Inoculation cannot prevent infection of the animals inoculated, but will suppress any symptoms and reduce the amount of virus discharged by the infected animals. In this way, inoculated animals may act as germ carriers, and there is a risk that they will spread the infection to other poultry.

Can cats get infected with bird flu?
Yes, cats can get infected with bird flu. However, there are only extremely few documented examples of bird flue in cats despite ample chances of infection. Consequently, the risk of infection spreading to cats seems to be extremely low. Always contact a veterinarian for correct diagnosis and treatment in the event of disease in a pet.

In our day-care centre, we have chickens in the playground. Is it safe for the children to get into contact with them?
The DVFA recommends that chickens and other poultry in day-care centres be kept indoors, if possible. Alternatively, feed and water must be placed indoors or under a permanent cover. As always, when you have been in contact with poultry, you must wash your hands thoroughly.

What do I do if my dog eats bird droppings or a bird carcass, or rolls in litter?
The dog must be washed if it has rolled. Otherwise, you do not have to do anything in that connection. Dogs are not considered susceptible to bird flu.

Is it safe to eat poultry meat?
Yes, there is no risk involved in eating cooked poultry. As always, when you have been in contact with meat, you must wash your hands thoroughly and cook the meat well. Similarly, eggs should be boiled/thoroughly done. Virus is killed at 70C. 

Is it safe to eat poultry eggs?
Yes, there is no risk involved in eating eggs from healthy chickens. As always, when you have been in contact with eggs or other raw products from animals, you should wash your hands thoroughly, and eggs must be boiled/thoroughly done. Virus is killed at 70C. 

Is it safe to eat pasteurised eggs?
Yes, there is no risk involved in eating pasteurised eggs, pasteurised egg whites or yolks.

Do bird droppings on packaging with furniture from Asia, for example, pose a risk?
No, they should not. However, discard the packaging and do not touch the dry bird droppings. Any kind of dissemination in this way has not been seen.

Are we allowed to buy and sell pedigree animals across domestic borders?
On 15 February 2006, rules were introduced requiring everybody trading in poultry or bred winged game to be able to document that the flock had been shown to be free of bird flu within the past three months. This does, however, not apply to flocks of less than 100 animals. In Denmark and in the other EU countries, a ban has been introduced on shows, etc. of poultry or other birds.

I do not have chickens or other birds, but I live in an area designated as a risk area. Is there anything I should do?
No, you should not act any differently than you always do. The areas designated as risk areas by the DVFA are areas in which owners of poultry and other birds must be alerted to the risk of their poultry or birds being infected by migratory birds. The risk areas do not imply that humans living in these areas risk catching bird flue.

How do I know if I live in a risk area?
The risk areas include the area between the coastline and 3 km inwards, areas surrounding larger lakes (shoreline – 3 km), wetland areas and bird sanctuaries. Click 'Surveillance' to see a map of the risk areas. Click the map to display a page where you can enter your address in the fields. The map displayed will be shaded if you live in a risk area. If you keep backyard chickens or birds outside in a designated risk area, you should follow the recommendations on infection protection outlined below.

Shortcut to map of risk areas

My neighbour keeps chickens in his backyard. Should I be worried?
No, there is no need to be worried. Bird flue virus usually infects only birds and (more rarely) pigs. Humans may, however, contract the disease through close contact with live, infected birds. However, as bird flue has still not been found in Denmark, there is no reason to worry.

We keep chickens in our backyard. How do we protect our chicken yard?

• Purchase chickens from stocks tested free of bird flu within the past three months.
• Keep the chickens in an enclosure, preferably covered with permanent roofing.
• Do not let strangers go near the chickens and do not go near other chickens yourself.
• Keep the entry to the chicken yard clean.
• Feeding should take place indoors.
• Watering should take place indoors and not with caught rain water.
• Pools of water or small ponds in the chicken yard should be drained, if possible.
• Separate gallinaceans from web-footed birds.
• Shoes, etc. worn in outdoor areas where especially water birds rest (marshes, parks, etc.) should not be used in areas with domestic poultry.
• Wash your hands after every contact with poultry.
• If you go abroad, you should not have contact with poultry within 48 hours after your return.

We live close to a salt meadow and, as a hobby, we keep ducks and geese together with a few chickens. Is that legal under the new rules?
Yes, it is legal, as the new rules apply to commercial stocks of poultry. However, as you do have web-footed birds and you live close to salt meadows with wild birds, you must be extra careful. Therefore, you should separate the chickens from the other birds, if possible, and at least keep the chickens indoors.

Why must chickens and ducks be separated? If my ducks are protected in the same way as my chickens, why should I then keep them apart?
Chickens and ducks must be kept apart because ducks - and other web-footed birds - may be germ carriers without any symptoms of the disease. There is a higher risk of low pathogenic bird flu virus developing into a high pathogenic virus in chickens than in web-footed birds. If web-footed birds which are carriers of a low pathogenic bird flu virus are kept together with chickens, virus in the chickens may at worst transform into a high pathogenic bird flu virus and thus cause an outbreak of bird flue. Unlike web-footed birds, chickens are very sensitive and will quickly develop the disease and die if exposed to high pathogenic bird flu.

Should we buy "playground sand" from the DIY centre or heat-treated bird sand from the pet shop for our animals to scrape in?
In order to prevent and control animal diseases, you should never get sand or gravel for backyard poultry in areas in which ducks, geese and migratory wild birds are resting. However, you are not required to buy sand or gravel from special dealers, and it does not have to be heat-treated. 

Am I allowed to give my chickens grass collected after grass-cutting, a bucket of earth to dig in or a bucket of weeds?
If geese, ducks or migratory birds have not been resting in the area from which the grass, earth or weeds have been taken, there is no reason why you should not give it to your chickens.

When is a poultry flock a commercial flock?
A poultry flock is commercial when eggs, meat or live poultry are sold from the flock. There is no lower limit as regards the size of the flock. If, for instance, you sell eggs directly to the public from your 30 chickens, you have a commercial flock. You do not have a commercial flock if you breed pedigree poultry and keep 30 of them for show purposes, or if you have four chickens in your backyard and you do not sell any of your chickens or eggs.

What about the pigeons in the town hall square?
The pigeons in the town hall square are considered wild birds, and they cannot be subjected to rules. However, they are not migratory birds and are therefore not considered potential germ carriers.

Are there any special measures in connection with bred pheasants and birds used in hunting?
When pheasants and ducks for hunting are put out, they are considered wild birds, and rules cannot be made. As long as the breeders have the animals fenced in, the same rules apply to pheasants and ducks as to flocks of poultry and other birds.
 
Which birds are considered poultry?
Poultry is defined as chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls, quails, pheasants, partridges, red-legged partridges and pigeons bred or kept in captivity.

What do the new rules say about poultry at shows, etc.?
Until further notice, holding shows, markets, auctions or similar with poultry or other birds is forbidden. This ban also applies to carrier pigeon events. In general, any planned show events must therefore be cancelled. At the moment, it is not possible to say how long this ban will be upheld.

What about pigeon auctions with pigeons from pigeonries/flocks?
Until further notice, holding of pigeon auctions with pigeons (also pigeons from one pigeonry/one flock) is forbidden.

How is bird flue spread from fowl to fowl?
Infected animals discharge virus through their airways and droppings. Infection is easily transmitted with feed and water containing virus. Infection may also be transmitted passively by clothes and shoes, feed sacks, non-disinfected brood eggs, tools, machinery, etc.

Can bird flu be passed on to other animals?
Usually, bird flu strikes only birds and poultry. In some case, however, pigs may be carriers of bird flu virus, and infected pigs have been seen to pass the infection on to turkeys. Keeping pigs and poultry apart is therefore recommended.

In addition, cats, seals, whales, minks and fitchets can contract bird flu. This has, however, only been seen in extremely few cases, despite ample chances of infection, which indicates that infection from birds to mammals is a very rare phenomenon.

Can all birds contract bird flue?
All species of birds can contract the disease. However, turkeys and chickens are most sensitive and develop strong symptoms, whereas web-footed are generally more resistant and may be germ carriers without having any symptoms.

How is bird flue transmitted to humans?
Humans may contract the disease through close contact with live, infected birds. Birds discharge the virus through secretion from their airways and droppings. At markets with live poultry, you may get into contact with dust that contains pulverised dried droppings from infected birds. You are therefore recommended not to visit such markets when travelling in countries with outbreaks of bird flue.

Can you see if a bird is infected?
The classic clinical symptoms of bird flu are sudden high mortality, discontinued egg-laying, airways symptoms, inflammation of the eyes with watery eyes, diarrhoea and possibly fluid accumulation and discoloration of the skin, especially in the head. Web-footed birds, which are not particularly susceptible to the disease, only show weak or no clinical symptoms.
 
Which web-footed migratory birds fly across Denmark?
Teals, pintails, widgeons, mallards and shovelers migrate across Denmark. Also many species of geese migrate across Denmark.

Where do the migratory birds come from?
Roughly speaking, they come from two major routes. Some species of duck migrate south of the Aral mountain range and go westwards around the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. In these areas, they rest in countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Rumania and Bulgaria. Other migratory birds migrate north of the Aral mountain range and down across Finland and Sweden to primarily the southern part of Denmark.

Migratory bird routes across Denmark

[Important resting places for migratory birds from Scandinavia]
[Important resting places for migratory birds from Russia and Scandinavia]

 

Migratory bird routes from Siberia 

 

What do migratory birds do that is dangerous to poultry?
Migratory birds may land in uncovered enclosures with, for example, free-range chickens or ducks. In flight, wild birds can spot any feed put out, which is why there is a risk that they bring infection to the flock through their droppings and by mingling with domestic chickens and ducks before moving on again.

Is it correct that wild migratory birds primarily come down if they can see feed and water? Or is the sight of other birds enough to make them land?
The migratory web-footed birds are primarily attracted by water and feed when migrating, and they need to find places where they can find feed before migrating on. Other birds, no doubt, will attract certain migratory birds. They indicate that feed is available. Therefore, the requirement as regards feeding and watering indoors is a supplement to the rules concerning the separation of poultry and wild birds.

Have infected migratory birds been found in Denmark?
In Denmark, wild birds, especially migratory birds, have been tested for bird flue for three years. This is done by sampling bird droppings from different birds, which are then tested for traces of virus.

In 2003, the DVFA examined about 3000 migratory birds in Denmark. The species examined were web-footed birds (geese and ducks), cormorants and lapwings. Eight different types of bird flu virus were found, but not type H5N1, which has been found in Turkey and Asia.
In 2004, the DVFA again examined about 3000 migratory birds. This time, seven different types of bird flu virus were found in mallards, teals, widgeons and pintails, but not the serious variant H5N1.

The results show that the wild migratory birds are - and always have been - carriers of bird flu. Still, there have never been any outbreaks of bird flu in poultry in Denmark.
Samples were also collected from wild birds in 2005, but the examinations of the samples have not yet been concluded.

What do I do if I see many dead and sick birds in the countryside?
If you find dead web-footed birds and wading birds (e.g. ducks, geese and swans) in the countryside, you must call

Have rules been laid down for the destruction of animals if an infectious disease breaks out?
Yes, rules have been laid down ensuring that animals that are to be destroyed in connection with public disease control are protected in the best possible way against agitation, pain and suffering during the destruction.

Contact
The bird flu hotline, tel. + 45 70 13 00 12
- Open Monday to Thursday 9.00am - 16.00pm and Friday 9.00am - 15.00pm.