# Bird Flu or Shouting? China hiding things again? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400 "2007-01-25T13:16:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400/1 "2007-01-25T13:16:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Hundreds of chickens have been found dead in eastern China - and a court has ruled that the cause of death was the screaming of a four-year-old boy who in turn had been scared by a barking dog. [http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in\_article\_id=34513&in\_page\_id=2](http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=34513&in_page_id=2) Oh yeah? :dubious: Could this be local Chinese officials trying to cover up a new bird flu outbreak? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400/2 "2007-01-25T13:18:39Z")
The article does say the chickens trampled each other to death. I don’t know, how stupid are these birds? Would they panic and flee, trampling anything in their way like that? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400/3 "2007-01-25T13:45:07Z")
[QUOTE=Zabali\_Clawbane] The article does say the chickens trampled each other to death. I don’t know, how stupid are these birds? Would they panic and flee, trampling anything in their way like that? 😕 [/QUOTE] I know, it sounds odd. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400/4 "2007-01-25T14:00:56Z")
_paranoia hat on_ It sounds a lot like what a lower-level bureaucrat might put into a report to keep from being lined up against a wall and shot by a higher level bureaucrat. It sounds stupid because its supposed to sound stupid (and make the higher level bureaucrat feel/seem smarter/superior). The actual cause of death could be anything from toxic chemical exposure, a deadly cloud of pollution, a re-emergance of bird flu, or the side effect of classified research that must not be named. Reporting any of those things publicly would put The State in an unfavorable light, and put the future of a low-level bureaucrat at risk. _paranoia hat off_ (Note: I’d have added corruption, but I’ve yet to see how corruption kills chickens. Indeed the proximity of so many chicken farms in Maryland / outside of DC, would seem to be proof that corruption has absolutely no effect on chickens.) ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400/5 "2007-01-25T14:04:52Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] I know, it sounds odd. :dubious: [/QUOTE] I don’t think it sounds that odd, I just don’t know how plausible it is, not knowing what chickens who are paniced are like is all… ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-flu-or-shouting-china-hiding-things-again/389400/6 "2007-01-25T14:21:21Z")
I’ve been in a chicken pen with 50 or so birds at a time, and they will all try to run away as fast as they can. At a full run they flap, jump about and end up piling on each other a couple deep in a flock that small. I can credit a larger flock in a panic killing hundreds. It would be nice to know haw many hens were in the flock.