Never name what you intend to eat. And, after tending to a few hundred, I didn't see them as individual anymore. They became a large unit. Only one or two would stand out, but by the time that occurred they were off to auction or another buyer. Occasionally, I would pull a few here and there for my own separate flock, but not often...🙂
Hello Fren! Yes, you are spot on about the wild birds, impossible to control. My neighbor was a contract producer for Perdue, he never had any issues (worried all the time though), nor did we, thankfully. I couldn't imagine culling 300K-500K birds. I'm not stating anyone is faking anything, I just know how controlled we were and know that large commercial farms are even more controlled. The timing and scale of this all causes me to question everything. I feel for the those that have losses, it is difficult if, you can recover from for sure..
The practices for health & isolation are basically the same for large or small producers. The turn rate is faster for larger producers, but the standards of preventing the spread or infection within a flock are basically the same. New birds are all isolated (stage houses) before being placed within or near an established flock, including new hatches. Sanitation is paramount with feed and water outlets. Most large producers isolate their premises from any public contact to further protect the flock from being introduced to any outside issues. It is a very controlled environment, that's why, I have difficulty believing a flu is running wild...Just my .02 on the issue...
I can't help but think of Kevin's roommate, Frank Luntz everytime McCarthy is mentioned....weird.....