Denaby Man Loses 200 Pullets – Second Fowl Pest Outbreak

August 1959

South Yorkshire Times August 22, 1959

Denaby Man Loses 200 Pullets

Second Fowl Pest Outbreak

Fowl pest has been discovered on Denaby Lane Allotments where only recently several thousand birds were destroyed. This time the outbreak is believed to be confined to one allotment that of Mr. George Guest, and 200 pullets have been destroyed.

Mr. Guest (60), a miner, at Cliff View, Denaby, gazed at his chicken pens on Wednesday and declared: “This has been a very heavy blow. I have lost birds worth nearly £500 in the past few months.”

Mr. Guest told our reporter: “I was one of the few allotment holders who decided to try and re-build a stock after the first outbreak. I bought 200 new pullets. 100 from Keighley and 100 from Kettering.

“A Ministry of Agriculture inspector called and he said that it was believed that the birds from Keighley were infected with the disease. All the lot were killed. This means that I have lost 575 birds altogether.”

Mr. Guest added that the inspector believed the outbreak was confined to his allotment. Blood sam ples have been taken from birds in neighbouring allotments and the results will be known in a few days. Mr. Guest said that he would not attempt to rear any more birds this year. “I shall have plenty of time to consider whether I shall ever start again,” he added.