Planning for Your Poultry Flocks: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) will be a challenge this year

hen eggsPlanning for your poultry flocks? Please be aware that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) will be a challenge this year.

We have the Cornell Wildlife folks to thank for passing along these USDA and USGS tools for finding out where avian influenza is causing concerns right now. If you would like to know more about whether to let your poultry flocks free-range this year, please check these sites to see where HPAI is currently found in wild birds or in poultry in the US.

What to do if HPAI is in your area?

  1. For biosecurity info, see USDA’s Defend the Flock Program website.
  2. Keep your flock separated from wild birds, or areas where they have been.
  3. If you have bird feeders, consider taking them down until this HPAI outbreak is over. Encouraging wild birds to gather may spread HPAI among the wild birds, and also to your poultry.
  4. If you have a wire coop or “tractor” for your birds, put a cover on the roof (keep wild birds’ feces from falling onto your birds).
  5. Raising organic or free-range poultry? Contact your certification agency to see if they will allow poultry to be kept indoors during the HPAI outbreak.
  6. Are your birds ill? If you suspect HPAI, call the regional hotline at 866-536-7593.