Maine Backyard Poultry Flocks Exposed to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
By Anne Lichtenwalner, University of Maine Associate Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Director of the UMaine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Dear Maine poultry owners,
We have recently had some of our Maine backyard poultry flocks become exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).* We are not alone — there are similar situations in eastern Canada, New York, Delaware, Kentucky, Virginia, and Indiana. Our wild waterfowl can carry this virus and it has been detected in wild birds in New Hampshire, the Carolinas, and other regions during 2022. As this is a serious disease, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry have teamed up with the USDA to monitor and respond to the situation. We’ll post their updates here and add helpful material as it becomes available.
If you have sick birds, please contact the state veterinarian or the UMaine Extension Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (207.581.3874 or umvdl@maine.edu).
If you have specific questions about HPAI or bird health, please be sure to consult the USDA website (or our lab if you still have questions).
*Read more in the February 23, 2022, Situational Report by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.