Avian Influenza Update
New cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continue to appear; at the time of writing this newsletter, the latest confirmed case of H5N1 was in a backyard premises in Co Durham. Please remain vigilant and ring us if you think that your birds may be suffering from Avian Influenza; we have been involved in a number of AI cases recently and will be able to provide help and advice. Please remember that clinical symptoms include a drop in egg production, high or sudden mortality, and respiratory distress. If you are in a restricted zone, you will need a movement licence to move your birds. These licences need to be completed by your vet within 24 hours prior to movement. Each movement needs a licence, and due to the sheer number of farms that are currently in restricted areas, please contact us as soon as you know when your movement will take place to allow us to plan accordingly and assign you a vet without compromising your biosecurity. If your farm is still under restrictions when you place the following flock, you will also need a pre-placement vet visit to check the biosecurity of the farm. Movements of manure, eggs and Salmonella samples can be performed under a general licence. Make sure that the disinfectants that you use on the farm are DEFRA-approved and are used at the correct dilutions under the Diseases of Poultry and Avian Influenza Order. In case of doubt, please contact any of our poultry vets, who will be happy to help. We also supply a wide range of Defra-approved disinfectants, biosecurity signs and foot dips through our sister company: Agricure Farm Supplies. Contact [email protected] or ring
01347 820366 for more information or to place an order.
Salmonella samples to the laboratory over Easter
Due to National Bank Holidays on Good Friday (18th April ) and Easter Monday (21st April), there will be no deliveries or collections by Royal Mail to Newbridge Scientific, Sheriff Hutton, and Newbridge Scientific Edinburgh. Please post your Salmonella samples to the laboratory no later than Wednesday, 16th April, to ensure your sample can be delivered within the 4-day testing limit.
If you think this will not be possible, please contact us in advance so we can help. We are pleased to confirm that Newbridge Edinburgh will be processing samples and reporting results throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. Any queries in regards to the Easter Collections/Deliveries or for advice, please call 01347 820366. We hope you all have a lovely Easter!
Courier service
PHS is dedicated to offering cost-effective shipping for your business, charging you at cost price whether the delivery is by courier or Royal Mail. Recently, our couriers have informed us of upcoming price increases. Consequently, while standard next-day delivery remains unchanged, prices for enhanced services such as Saturday delivery, AM delivery, and third-party collections have risen. For updated pricing, please contact your local practice when ordering products via couriers. We would like to emphasize that PHS offers these services at cost and is always looking for the best value for money for our clients.
Congratulations to Edinburgh Vet, Rafael Mala
Last month, Rafael received his postgraduate qualification ( Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice -Poultry) from the former British Veterinary Poultry Association (BVPA) President, Michael Clark, after Rafael delivered a successful presentation to other poultry veterinarians at the Spring BVPA Conference. This qualification recognizes Rafael’s knowledge and dedication to poultry medicine, a subject that he is very passionate about.
We would like to congratulate him on this amazing achievement.
BFREPA on the road in 2025!
Following 2023’s roadshow success, BFREPA is heading out again in 2025! To meet members and get their feedback on some very important projects. For tickets and more information, please check out:https://www.bfrepa.co.uk/roadshow. Following this, in November 2025, BFREPA will be hosting the British Free Range Show again at Telford International Centre.
Game Bird Gazette
Game Bird Gazette is a monthly publication dedicated to news, articles, and updates about game birds, brought to you from our PHS Vets.
Deworming your birds- when and how?
Following two of the warmest winters on record, we have not had the hard, long frosts that have normally killed off a lot of the worm eggs left in the soil. It is therefore more likely that breeding birds, release pens, and possibly even rearing sites, will struggle with worms this year. Our game vets and lab provide worm egg count testing to help identify levels of worm burden present and if worming is necessary. This can help save money by targeting treatments when they are required. Our vets have microscopes in the practices and for visits to look for parasites, including worms, coccidia, hexamita, and trichomonas. Our practices can also provide sampling kits, which can be posted to our lab for testing.
Following this, we can provide wormer to go into your water system or prescriptions for in-feed wormer.
Prevention remains important. Cut grass early and short, as UV rays from sunlight damage worm eggs. Oregano-based products have been found to reduce worm burdens by improving the intestine’s defenses. These can be given in the water or in-feed. If you have any concerns about your birds or want to plan for the year ahead, please contact your local PHS game vets
Renewal of the GL43 licence, but not the GL45.
This is likely to mean some game clients will need to apply for licences before moving their birds to a release pen, and the APHA licensing team may include requirements for their licences, such as a vet visit. All of our vets have the relevant APHA training as OVs and Vet Inspectors, so they can carry out these visits. If you are uncertain, what you might need, please contact the APHA or your local PHS branch.
Mighty Hike 2025
Last year, friends and colleagues from PHS completed the 26-mile hike in Northumberland for Macmillan Cancer Support – they raised £2000! This year, they are back (+ a few more) to take on the 26-mile Peak District Mighty Hike on the 19th of July! A JustGiving page has just been created – if you would like to support the PHS team, you can do so on the link below.
Thank You!
PHS involvement in local communities
Meet Henrietta, the scarecrow. She was made by Meaka, Abbie, and Anna (from the Sheriff Hutton PHS team) for the Village Scarecrow Competition and proudly represents young women in poultry production.
Advertise with us for free
Do you have a vacancy? Or want to sell equipment? Are you struggling to recruit? In Spring 2022, we launched the new PHS ‘Classifieds’ section – an online space for advertising jobs, equipment, services, and more for the poultry and gamebird industry in the UK. Please contact your local PHS branch for more information or to send us your advert. This service is available for free to PHS clients and for a small fee to non-clients.
Social Media
Social media is a great way for us to keep you up to date with what’s going on at PHS. We also like to share the occasional funny post, so if you’re a scroller then look us up! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter (@Poultryvets), and LinkedIn.
Our new Promo code!