Vigilance is still needed as HPAI continues to be detected in Maine’s wildlife. AUGUSTA, ME — Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a highly contagious virus that can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including through wild birds, contact with infected poultry, equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. Starting in February […]
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The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) urges all poultry growers to make sure they are doing everything possible to keep their birds healthy and reduce the risk that an infectious disease will spread from their property to other flocks. Anyone involved with poultry production — commercial or […]
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— Submitted by Anne Lichtenwalner, DVM Ph.D., University of Maine Associate Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Director of the UMaine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. From Maine.gov’s recent Animal Health Program, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry email notification. For Immediate Release: July 1, 2022 Media Contact: Jim Britt, jim.britt@maine.gov AUGUSTA — Today, due […]
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Guidelines from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife — Submitted by Anne Lichtenwalner, DVM Ph.D., University of Maine Associate Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Director of the UMaine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Posted with permission of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW). We are seeing increased wild bird losses […]
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June Update: More States with HPAI, This Time in the South Please keep your bird biosecurity up! — Submitted by Anne Lichtenwalner, DVM Ph.D., University of Maine Associate Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Director of the UMaine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Content from the post: USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Georgia (USDA […]
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We get occasional hen health questions like this: Question: I’m hoping you can provide a little advice. One of our six three-year-old chickens has been laying eggs that are so soft they break immediately, sometimes the shell is just a shriveled-up little blob, and once or twice I didn’t see any shell at all, just […]
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Is Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the United States over? No. HPAI continues to impact US domestic and wild birds, and we should be very grateful we’ve not recently had domestic flock cases in Maine, but very cautious to keep it from happening again. Between this February and last week, approximately 37.7 million poultry […]
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Bird owners should not relax their vigilance about wild birds yet. Migration season will be very active for weeks to come, and wild birds may pass through your area or may settle in for the summer breeding season. In either case, their respiratory secretions and feces can spread the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus. […]
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Updated Resources: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), May 5, 2022 Should you be concerned about your flock’s health? It’s a bad year for avian influenza all over North America, and we’ve had our share of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Maine. Please visit these links to learn more about preventing HPAI in your area, […]
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Submitted by Anne Lichtenwalner, University of Maine Associate Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Director of the UMaine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) swept into Maine this spring, but due to the efforts of our animal health teams and to the sacrifices of poultry owners, it is not here at the […]
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