bird flu

Eggs are more expensive than they were last year.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of a dozen Grade A eggs jumped from $1.82 last year to almost $3.60 in 2022.  While part of the increase is due to the rising price of chicken feed, the real culprit is highly pathogenic avian influenza.  HPAI ha...

The 2015 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak was spread primarily by people and machines carrying the virus from one location to another.    But in this current outbreak.  “The vast majority of our introductions into domestic poultry are from interaction with a wild bird of some type,” which Dr. Rosemary Sifford with the USDA’s Ve...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a large commercial flock.  The Franklin County operation first reported a high number of sudden deaths of chickens to the WSDA last week.  Investi...

In January when a certain type of avian influenza virus, that had caused problems in Europe, was discovered in some wild ducks in the Carolinas USDA experts alerted the nation's poultry producers that trouble was coming.  Dr. Rosemary Sifford with USDA's Veterinary Services says instead of just dying out over the summer, which is what happened during the 2015 outbreak, the new variant has lead to

Last week, the Oregon Department of Agriculture announced the confirmation of the state’s first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a non-commercial flock.  According to USDA, the flock was discovered November 29th in Columbia County, and included roughly 20 chickens.     ...

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bird Flu has again been reported in a Yamhill County operation. ODA said the November 3rd detection impacted about 100 birds, including chickens, duck, geese, turkeys and emu, all of which were euthanized.  ...

A new analysis from CoBank suggests consumers will see smaller turkeys and higher-priced bird this Thanksgiving season.  After grappling with staff shortages, plant closures, and supply issues, the turkey industry has been hit by yet another problem in 2022: the worst Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak in U.S. histor...

It looks like that Thanksgiving dinner is going to be more expensive this November.  Turkey prices are 73% higher than last year and analysts say they could stay that way through the holiday.  The dramatic increase is largely due to the spread of bird flu, which led to a smaller supply.  Accordi...

Avian influenza losses are nearing a record in the United States this year, as the virus has infected more wild birds that transmit the disease.  According to Reuters, more than 47 million birds have died from infections and culling.  The out...

Backyard bird owners across Washington, and the entire Pacific Northwest, are reminded to practice strong biosecurity measures as migration season starts to increase across the region.  The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Dr. Amber Itle say...