ducks

As Easter hops around the corner, some families are eyeing those cute chicks and ducklings. But wait—there’s more to consider than just their fluffy charm.

New research from Oregon State University shows wild birds continue to be the biggest carriers of avian influenza.  Wastewater detections of bird flu are highest in or near communities with important wild bird habitats, according to the new OSU study, meaning detections of the virus in wastewater does not automatically signal human cases.  Multnom...

On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Agriculture confirmed the first case of bird flu in Mason County, northwest of Olympia.  The H5N1 case was discovered in a small backyard flock of ducks last week, but wasn't confirmed until Monday February 10th.   ...

The United States reported its first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu in poultry on a duck farm in California.  Reuters said that authorities also detected the more common H5N1 strain on the same farm in Merced County, California.  By December 2nd, almost 119,000 birds on the farm had been killed.   In ad...

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.  ...

For the first time since May, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture has confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus in a backyard flock of chickens and ducks.  The Twin Falls County case is the first of HPAI in domestic poultry this season in the state.  While H...

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continues to spread across the Pacific Northwest. Last week, the Oregon Department of Agriculture confirmed a case of bird flu in a backyard flock of ducks and geese in Polk County. The flock's owner notified a private veterinarian after the sudden death of at least one bird; meanwhile, other birds in the flock were displaying clinical signs consistent with HPAI

The USDA announced on Monday a wild duck shot in Montana was carrying the H5N2 strain of avian influenza.  That’s fueling calls to scrap a USDA proposal to allow organic poultry more access to the outside.   Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today report says the sick bird was harvested for surveillance purposes.  Farmers are concern...