Cape May County 4-H Livestock Committee Hosts Seminar on Avian Influenza

COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County 4-H Livestock Committee is hosting a special seminar on Avian Influenza during the month of Feb. This timely topic will be presented by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Thurs., Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Lockwood 4-H Youth Center on the 4-H fairgrounds, 355 Court House-South Dennis Road, Cape May Court House, New Jersey.
The focus of the presentation will be on how Avian Influenza affects backyard chicken flocks. Linda Horner, Acting 4-H Agent said, “We welcome community poultry owners to this important seminar so that they can learn more about the dangers of Avian Influenza to their backyard flocks.
As of December 2014, a new strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was found in the United States. Avian influenza is carried by wild birds including ducks, geese and other migratory waterfowl. While this strain has not yet proven to be harmful to humans, the presence of HPAI in commercial or backyard flocks can cause mass bird loss.
In order to enjoy your backyard birds this winter, it is important for poultry owners and bird enthusiasts to be informed about avian influenza. If you would like to learn about avian influenza and how to prevent it, please join us for this free seminar which is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served, please RSVP by calling 465-5115, ext. 605.
4-H offers educational programs to all youth, grades K-13, on an age-appropriate basis, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. For more information about the New Jersey 4-H Program, administered by Rutgers Cooperative Extension, visit the website at http://nj4h.rutgers.edu.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County helps both youth and adults improve their knowledge and skills, enhance their quality of life, and resolve problems in areas of food, nutrition, health and wellness; food safety; agriculture; environmental and natural resource management; and youth development. This is accomplished through the use of science-based knowledge and university research. Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an education organization within the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.