Avian Influenza is once again in Indiana. This outbreak is in turkeys in Daviess County.

By Jeff Burbrink
Ag & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Purdue Extension LaGrange County

Jeff Burbrink

LAGRANGE — When Indiana’s Board of Animal Health sends a message at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday evening that they are calling a meeting at 8 p.m. that same evening, you know something big is up. That’s when they announced that Highly Parthenogenic Avian Influenza is once again in Indiana. This outbreak is in turkeys in Daviess County.

It was just 18 months ago we experienced an outbreak of avian flu in poultry flocks here in northern Indiana. It has not been in the news much lately, but avian flu is still lurking about, and with our large numbers of poultry here in northern Indiana, our growers, both commercial and backyard, need to remain vigilant. As spring approaches, wild birds will be migrating from south and central America, and they can easily bring it to us.

The situation in South America is unnerving. HPAI has been found consistently in seabirds, and the virus has jumped to seals and sea lions, killing over 1,000 of those large animals. Birds are dying by the thousands, particularly pelicans and other seabirds along the coast.

The scary part is the annual migration of birds from South America will be happening soon. As those birds arrive here, they will be crossing paths with local wild birds and backyard flocks, stealing feed from feeders and drinking from waterers. That is how the disease cycle move into domesticated flocks.

In fact, there is currently one farm in Ohio dealing with Avian flu, a total of 1.3 million birds to be euthanized. In Michigan, there is another commercial flock with 31,000 birds dealing with avian flu. Ohio and Illinois have documented 27 cases in the wild bird population since mid-December. All the states around us have documented cases in backyard flocks.

The USDA and BOAH take HPAI very seriously, for several reasons. First, it can move rapidly through a flock and a neighborhood, devastating the economy. And second, strains of the avian flu have been known to jump into the human population and make people sick. You do not get sick from properly prepared poultry meat or eggs.

If there is an outbreak, those agencies will create a 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) perimeter circle around the affected flocks, and then go door to door searching for additional sick animals within that circle. If more are discovered, new circles are drawn and the process starts again until no new sickly animals are found. I live in the area where the flu struck some duck barns in 2022, and witnessed that the veterinarians were very thorough in their search. Sick birds are euthanized and disposed of in humane and sanitary methods.

There are a few things that may help reduce the chance your birds are not affected. Most important, if you notice sickly birds, do not hesitate to call your veterinarian. The quicker the response, the better the chance more flocks are not affected.

Second: keep your birds in an escape proof enclosure, such as a backyard run, preferably covered with wire or netting. Our local commercial growers pulled their birds indoors to reduce the risk during the last outbreak.

Another wise step is to have dedicated shoes and outerwear when caring for the flock. Leave boots and coveralls in an adjacent container between visits. Be sure to wash your hands going in and out of the flock. Tools can also carry virus, so dedicating tools to stay with a particular coupe or barn can minimize the risk between buildings.

Keeping control of predators, such as dogs, mice, rats and other animals is important too. Those animals can help spread disease by moving carcasses.

Do not be misled by some of the poor information online. While writing this article, I saw one person claiming her organically fed birds are not susceptible to HPAI. Tell that to our local organic growers who buried thousands of birds in 2022. Information posted at Extension sites like Purdue, Penn State, Iowa and Minnesota is much more reliable than “Mary down the street on Facebook.”

BOAH is the lead agency when avian flu is found in Indiana. They are very good about communicating with people near the affected area, if they know you are there. I would suggest you register your flock (both commercial and hobby flocks) at in.gov/boah/traceability-and-premise-id/ or by calling (317) 544-2400. Those who sign up will receive an early heads up when situations arise, like I received Tuesday evening. It is a very impressive system.