March 23, 2022
A business hen farm in Nebraska will destroy 570,000 broilers as a result of a case of extremely pathogenic avian influenza – higher referred to as chook flu – was found within the flock, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture reported.
Earlier this month, chook flu was found in a yard flock in Merrick County and in wild geese in Lincoln and Cedar and Douglas counties, the division mentioned in a news release. The Lincoln wild goose case was the primary occasion of chook flu within the state since 2015.
“Having a second farm in Nebraska confirmed to have HPAI is unlucky, however not utterly sudden,” NDA Director Steve Wellman mentioned within the launch. “NDA will use all of the assets at our disposal, in coordination with our federal companions to handle a fast response.”
The Division of Agriculture put the business farm in Butler County beneath quarantine after noting a bigger than regular variety of deaths. The division established a 6.2-mile management zone across the farm, which means poultry inside the zone can’t be moved with out state permission.
The birds “can be humanely depopulated and disposed of in an accredited method,” the division mentioned.
“Signs of HPAI in poultry embrace: a lower in water consumption; lack of power and urge for food; decreased egg manufacturing or soft-shelled, misshapen eggs; nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing; incoordination; and diarrhea. HPAI can even trigger sudden loss of life in birds even when they aren’t exhibiting every other signs. HPAI can survive for weeks in contaminated environments,” the Division of Agriculture mentioned.
The Associated Press mentioned greater than 13 million chickens and turkeys in at the very least eight states have been destroyed or can be quickly due to chook flu. The primary case this yr was present in a business turkey flock in Indiana.
