Lumpy Eye the chicken has made plenty of friends in her East Vancouver neighbourhood over the years, said owner Duncan Martin, with passersby regularly greeting her in the yard outside their home.

But now the seven-year-old Bovan Brown hen is being kept in isolation in her coop, to prevent her coming into contact with wild birds 91裸聊视频� and H5N1 avian influenza.

91裸聊视频淲e consider ourselves at probably the smallest end of the spectrum of keeping chickens, with one at this point, but we tend to keep her in her run, so she91裸聊视频檚 fully protected,91裸聊视频� said Martin.

Martin is among Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 urban poultry enthusiasts who are taking care to keep their flocks safe and healthy as deadly avian flu sweeps through dozens of commercial flocks across B.C., resulting in more than 8.5 million birds being culled.

But there91裸聊视频檚 also the risk of human infection 91裸聊视频� the first human death from bird flu in the United States was reported last week in a person from Louisiana who had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.

In B.C., Canada91裸聊视频檚 first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 involved a teenage girl who became critically ill in November, and was only released from hospital on Jan. 7. The cause of her infection is unknown.

Pinder Rehal, a City of Vancouver spokeswoman, said bird flu represents a 91裸聊视频渞eal and present risk91裸聊视频� to backyard chickens, although no infections have yet been recorded among the city91裸聊视频檚 184 registered flocks.

The number of flocks has boomed since the city first allowed backyard chickens in 2010.

While it91裸聊视频檚 unclear how many backyard flocks have been infected with avian flu across Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency data shows there were outbreaks last year in 15 91裸聊视频渘on-commercial91裸聊视频� poultry farms, referring to premises with fewer than 1,000 birds. These included four in B.C. among the total of 54 infected flocks in the province.

B.C91裸聊视频檚 chief veterinarian, Dr. Theresa Burns, urged owners of small or backyard flocks to stay vigilant and implement preventive measures, such as keeping their birds91裸聊视频� environment clean and dry.

She said the 91裸聊视频渧ery safest thing91裸聊视频� would be to keep chickens indoors without access to the outside environment, where they might encounter the virus shed from wild birds.

Burns said anyone with a backyard flock should make sure to change their clothes and shoes and wash their hands thoroughly after walking in a park, or visiting another property with backyard birds, while poultry feed should be managed to make sure it doesn91裸聊视频檛 attract wild birds.

Burns said North America is being heavily affected by avian flu, particularly along the Pacific flyway migration path along the west of the continent.

She said the most heavily contaminated substance is bird feces, and H5N1 is very good at surviving in cool, wet conditions.

Surveillance of wetlands in B.C. had shown some to be 91裸聊视频渧ery heavily contaminated with the virus.91裸聊视频�

Although waterfowl including geese and ducks are most affected by the avian flu, small songbirds could also carry the virus into someone91裸聊视频檚 backyard, Burns said.

Martin said he and his partner keep Lumpy Eye separated not just from other birds, but from their pet cat.

91裸聊视频淎nd if we91裸聊视频檙e out tending to her, just taking care of her or feeding her something, we always wash our hands and change our footwear and clothes,91裸聊视频� said Martin.

Fellow East Vancouver chicken fanciers Joshua and Holly Hergesheimer have been watching the skies to make sure other birds don91裸聊视频檛 get too close to their flock of two Rhode Island red hens and two Ameraucanas. Four hens is the maximum allowed in a Vancouver backyard flock.

91裸聊视频淲hen we see crows or seagulls out, we try to move them away,91裸聊视频� said Joshua Hergesheimer, adding that 91裸聊视频渢he best is always to monitor.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淯sually the issue would be mixing with other flocks. We don91裸聊视频檛 go to any bird shows. We don91裸聊视频檛 take the chickens anywhere.91裸聊视频�

Hergesheimer said they keep on top of the latest regulations and also regularly check their four hens 91裸聊视频� Pancake, Mocha, Blizzard and Hazelnut.

91裸聊视频淲e spend time checking their health, make sure their beak is OK and the crest, the top part. If it91裸聊视频檚 very red, then that means they91裸聊视频檙e very healthy. So, we check the wings and the feet just to make sure everything is OK,91裸聊视频� said Hergesheimer.

Burns said her team has been educating people who work with poultry or wild birds on how to reduce their risk, which 91裸聊视频渇or the general public is still considered very low.91裸聊视频�

She said anecdotally, they are seeing fewer sick and dead wild birds now compared to 2022, when H5N1 also spread widely.

91裸聊视频淲e suspect that they are starting to develop sort of population-level immunity, and that will be helpful in hopefully causing this strain to fade away and be replaced by another strain in the coming years,91裸聊视频� said Burns.

But she said there was still a possibility of mutations that make H5N1 more infectious to mammals or cause other problems. Experts fear mutations could change H5N1 into a virus capable of causing a human pandemic.

91裸聊视频淲e still have to work and have very high vigilance and prepare as much as we can for a situation where things don91裸聊视频檛 go as we hope,91裸聊视频� said Burns.

In East Vancouver, Martin has full confidence that Lumpy Eye will make it through the H5N1 outbreaks.

91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 a real survivor,91裸聊视频� Martin said. 91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 been through some hardship and loss of her friends. So, I think if we take a few precautions, she91裸聊视频檒l live out her life nicely in the backyard.91裸聊视频�