Massive Bird Flu Outbreak Forces Culling of Nearly 1 Million Chickens in Minnesota
A devastating bird flu outbreak has hit a Minnesota egg operation, leading to the culling of nearly 1 million chickens. This is by far the largest death toll at a single poultry farm in the state since the outbreak began last year.
The affected farm, located in Wright County, had 940,000 egg-laying chickens when the virus was detected earlier this month. In accordance with disease management protocol, all birds at an operation where the virus is detected must be culled to prevent further spread.
The outbreak has had a significant impact on Minnesota’s poultry industry, with about 5.5 million birds, mostly turkeys, being killed or culled in the state since the beginning of 2022, according to the state Board of Animal Health.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza is typically spread by wild migrating birds, and the recent autumn migration has brought a new wave of outbreaks after a quiet spring with no reported cases at commercial poultry farms in Minnesota.
In the past month alone, more than 350,000 turkeys have been killed across five counties in Minnesota, which is the leading turkey producer in the nation. Despite the outbreaks, officials do not expect it to impact Thanksgiving turkey availability or prices, which have been trending below average.
While bird flu does not pose a risk to food safety, it played a significant role in limiting the supply of eggs last winter, driving prices to record highs.
The neighboring state of Iowa, which produces more eggs than any other state, has also been heavily impacted by the bird flu outbreak. 16 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens at large operations, have been killed in Iowa, accounting for more than a quarter of the 61 million birds killed nationwide throughout the entire outbreak.
However, Iowa has not seen a resurgence of cases at egg producers so far this year. Despite the devastating impact on bird populations, egg prices have remained relatively stable in recent months.
State health officials are urging the public to report any irregularities in backyard poultry flocks and commercial operations to the state Avian Influenza Hotline and to avoid touching sick or dead animals found in the wild.