I know there’s a lot of noise in the news about Avian Influenza spreading from wild birds into domestic chicken flocks, and we’ve been getting lots of questions - so let’s talk about it!
I spoke with a friend who is involved with the commercial poultry industry and knowledgeable about this disease to get his input on how concerned we need to be, and additional details about the virus.
Let’s tackle the most important thing first - Are we worried about Avian Influenza impacting our chickens or our farm?
Our short answer is, not really.
AI is a virus that primarily impacts birds raised in confinement. Any virus spreads quickly when birds are in close quarters! Since our chickens are raised outdoors with plenty of airflow and space, it’s less likely for disease to spread.
Do we have any cases of AI in our area?
At this point, no, but we’re monitoring it.
This virus is spread by migratory birds and we aren’t located in a busy migratory bird flyway. It can be carried by song birds, but it’s most commonly spread by geese, ducks, etc.
Is Avian Influenza dangerous to humans?
AI is a respiratory virus and technically it can infect humans, but it’s not super dangerous. It’s highly fatal to chickens because chickens have little tiny airways and when they get all stuffed up, they simply can’t breathe and don’t last long.
For humans, it would be just like having a good old fashioned cold.
AI does not infect meat or eggs and you cannot get Avian Influenza from eating or touching chicken or eggs.
The only possibility of catching AI if you happen to come in close contact with an infected chicken or bird. People who work in the confinement barns are at higher risk of contracting the virus, the rest of us are at super low risk.
Is there anything we can do to help prevent the virus from infecting our chickens?
USDA is recommending we keep our flocks inside to avoid any contact with wild birds, but sunshine and fresh air goes a long way in preventing all kinds of other bird sicknesses, so we’ll be sticking with our usual routines around here.
There’s often a narrative that backyard/pastured chicken producers are a danger to the rest of the poultry industry by letting our birds potentially mingle with wild birds, but if we study the numbers - the backyard flocks are a tiny, tiny, tiny, percentage of the birds that ever end up with the virus. It’s not being spread by backyard flocks.
The biggest risk of bringing the virus onto our farm is it being tracked in a person who has been around infected birds.
If you have backyard chickens, have been around chickens, or have traveled into areas with high incidence of disease - we will need to be more cautious when you visit.
Will this continue to be an issue all year?
Not likely. This virus dies down once the weather is warmer. The areas seeing the highest outbreaks have been cool and wet all Spring, which increases the spread.
Is it true that confinement and backyard flocks are being confiscated and/or killed?
It is true that when AI is found in a flock, whether in one of the large barns or in a backyard flock, the birds are euthanized.
As far as backyard flocks being confiscated or killed for no reason or as a preventative measure, I don’t feel this is something we need to worry about.
I’m not going to say it hasn’t happened, but I have no first hand knowledge of this happening and haven’t seen any discussion in any of the pastured poultry producer groups I’m part of saying that this has become or will be an issue.
Will we still be able to buy chicks?
Yes. The breeding facilities for most chickens, like the cornish cross birds we raise, are fairly spread out across the country. Even if 1 company or barn would be infected with AI, there are more that could provide the chicks we need.
If there was a major loss of breeder flocks and available supply is low, the price of chicks could increase.
At this point, I’m not worrying about it being an issue.
Will there be a chicken, turkey or egg shortages?
It’s possible that grocery stores will have supply chain interruptions. It’s also likely the prices for poultry products in the grocery store will increase.
Unless we see increased prices for any of our direct inputs, it won’t impact our supply or prices. We rarely have enough eggs to meet demand, but we should have plenty of chicken!
Obviously I have no crystal ball to predict the future and there’s always a slim possibility we could end up with AI on our farm, but I wanted to reassure you that this is not something that we are overly concerned will negatively impact our farm or our ability to provide you with safe chicken and eggs.
Do you have other questions about Avian Influenza or any other topics in food and agriculture? Send us an email and we’d be happy to answer your questions for you!
Dana
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