Practical Poultry Magazine No.122 Marsh Daisy Back Issue

Well, 2014’s certainly got off to quite a start, as far as the weather is concerned. As it turned out, the floods and power cuts over Christmas were just the appetiser; the storms that rolled in off the Atlantic with sickening regularity during January and February, served-up swathes
of the country with a main course that many residents simply couldn’t stomach. Somewhat predictably, the news media went overboard with its coverage (no pun intended!), and it’s been wall-to-wall sandbags, green waders and pointing politicians more or less ever since. But while there’s been plenty of airtime devoted to the flood-related human suffering, I’ve seen and read virtually nothing about the horrors that must have overtaken livestock up and down the land. Inevitably, I suppose, an account of squaddies paddling dinghys down flooded
high streets to rescue pensioners trapped in their upstairs bedrooms, is always going to trump stories of marooned donkeys, stranded sheep or washed-out chickens. But the reality, of course, is that livestock tends to suffer more seriously than we humans in these situations. While we may pay with sodden carpets and ruined flatscreen tellies, for animals the
consequences are more inclined to be fatal. So I was pleased to see that the Poultry Club of Great Britain is taking the initiative and doing something positive to help. The launch of its Flood Support Helpline is intended to co-ordinate assistance for those pure breed keepers who have been hit hardest by the recent weather (see the news story on p6).
It’ll be very interesting to see how this project develops, and I hope that, in the months to come, we’ll be able to report on some heartening tales of breed enthusiasts coming together meaningfully to help those less fortunate than themselves.