SMALL-SCALE poultry keepers are being invited to an event in Huntly to discuss poultry care and bird flu.

The evening event, targeted at non-commercial industry poultry keepers in Aberdeenshire, is being run by The James Hutton Institute at The Square Deal in Huntly on Thursday, January 18.

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The aim is to share ideas about how to help keepers make informed poultry management decisions to better prevent outbreaks of diseases like bird flu in their flocks. This is being done as part of Hutton’s work on the Scottish Government’s Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks (EPIC) consortium.

“Backyard keepers have a role to play in managing risks associated with avian influenza,” says Hutton researcher Orla Shortall. “However, they can be difficult to reach and they may not have the facilities to manage the risks of diseases like this spreading.

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They might not have space to bring the birds inside or a means to keep wild birds away, for instance.

“We’re interested in learning what could help them address these risks, and what other information would be useful to them to keep their flocks safe.”

Keepers interested in attending the event should contact carol.kyle@hutton.ac.uk