Ongoing Avian Flu Outbreaks Continue to Destroy Commercial Poultry Flocks Indiana Ohio, two counties Emergency declaration issued this week. But Tennessee appears to be getting better, at least for now.
“It’s not that we’re not affected, but we’re not affected by avian flu as close as other states have,” said the University of Tennessee’s statewide poultry expansion specialist. One Tom Tavler said:
Since February 2022, the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses has been detected in wild, commercial and backyard flocks. According to the CDC. This virus is deadly to chickens and turkeys and is usually spread by wild migratory birds.
Under current USDA policy, if one bird tests positive in a commercial flock or in a backyard shed, the entire flock must be euthanized to stop spreading, Table said. Approximately 163 million birds have been affected since early 2022. This includes 9 million Ohio birds last month.
Tennessee has been affected since its outbreak in 2022, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Data Dashboard. The majority of these birds came from five commercial flocks.
Tennessee’s last reported detection was a non-profit flock of 30 birds in Green County on Jan. 16, according to USDA data.
Why doesn’t it seem like no one knows yet, but broilers don’t seem to be as susceptible to bird flu as they do with egg laying groups and turkey flocks.
– University of Tennessee Extension University Tom Table
Commercial operations of Gibson County 37,700 birds were reported affected in late November, the latest commercial scale outbreak in Tennessee. The most influential strings of the state’s five outbreaks struck Weakley County in December 2022, resulting in the death of 397,100 birds from commercial breeders.
Ohio and Indiana are one of the country’s top egg producers, but Tennessee’s main commercial product is broiler chickens.
“It doesn’t seem like no one knows yet, but broilers don’t seem to be as susceptible to bird flu as they do with egg laying groups and turkey flocks,” Tabler says. . He assumed that broiler chickens are usually processed when they are young, but laying hens can get older.
USDA recently granted a Conditional License In the case of avian influenza vaccines for use in chickens, but in the vaccines It hasn’t been cleared yet For commercial or sale. That strategy is also complicated by trade relations – some trading partners said they would not accept exports from countries that allow vaccinations Jada ThompsonProfessor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Arkansas.
There is no cure for the virus, and biosecurity practices have similarly left as the best line of defense for commercial and backyard herds, Table said.
However, these practices may be new concepts for beginner chicken owners.
What is biosecurity?
Commercial producers are being used in security practices, Tabler said, “This is because the US is not the first move with avian flu.”
a Small outbreaks of 2014 It killed about 50 million birds. At the time, it was the largest HPAI outbreak in US history.
Tabre describes biosecurity as three-legged flights, isolation, traffic management and sanitation design. All three are important to have sound biosecurity.
Isolating the flock from exposure to other birds that may carry the virus can reduce the risk, he said. The same logic comes into traffic within and around the area where the herd is raised and maintained.
Wild birds spread the virus through nose secretion and fecal material. This could be tracked from one place to another, whether it’s a boot, tire, or other means.
Hygiene will arrive there. Commercial producers may need to use foot baths at the doors of chicken homes or use disposable boots or shoe covers.
“Nothing will be clean now,” he said.
Tennessee is home Some large chicken processorsincluding Tyson Foods, Koch Foods, Purdue Foods, and Pilgrim pride.
Tyson Foods Opened poultry complex In 2021 in Humboldt, a city in Gibson and Madison counties. Website All of the US poultry businesses are “continuing to operate under increasing biosecurity.”
This includes limiting non-essential visitors, disinfecting vehicles before entering farms and special uniforms and footwear requirements. All herds have been tested before leaving the farm, the website says.
Backyard biosecurity is viable, but “it takes more time”
The number of backyard herds in Tennessee is almost impossible to measure. Tabler said that as long as everyone complies with local ordinances, they can keep chickens in their backyard and don’t have to register like commercial flocks.
“It’s incredible how popular backyard chickens have been in the last five or six years since the pandemic,” he said.
But it may be necessary for people who are new to caring for chickens in their backyard More education Bioscience measures are being promoted by statewide tables and county agents through talks. Online Resources.
Backyard herd owners can implement biosecurity measures without much difficulty, but “but it takes more time,” he said.
Any place where flock owners gather poses a risk of transmission, Table explained. Fertilizer can be tracked in and out of popular feed and coffee shops, he said. If you don’t take precautions to change shoes or clothes before contacting the chicken, “it increases the risk factor.”
The H5N1 virus is also found in mammals such as bears, raccoons, skunks and possums. Because they might eat dead birds carrying the virus, Tabler said. Influenza is also seen in dairy cows and humans (U.S. dairy and poultry workers). According to the CDC. Tennessee does not record human lawsuits.
However, as of February 20, the CDC did not document the spread of individuals to people, classifying public health risks to humans as “low.”
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