Poultry: HPAI in MN
Things are constantly changing here in Minnesota; the weather, the amount of day light, the snow on the sidewalk you refused to shovel, and now highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has arrived. HPAI has been moving throughout the US for the last several months, but was officially diagnosed in a commercial turkey flock in Meeker County, MN on March 25th, 2022. Since then six other flocks including two small backyard operations have had positive cases and likely many more will soon be added to the list. This is a situation that is constantly evolving in the state and country, and all poultry producers big and small, as well as wild bird enthusiasts, and even random Joe Shmo’s that find random dead birds should be aware of.
To date the disease poses no human risk, it is perfectly safe to consume properly handled and prepared poultry products, and birds from affected flocks are not marketed for their meat. So whats the big deal? Well the answer is poultry is very important to this state. Minnesota ranks #1 in the country for turkey production, somewhere between 42-45 million birds raised annually by ~450 independent producers, all in the land of 10,000 lakes! And guess what, HPAI usually causes very high death rates in poultry flocks and spreads very quickly.
Where does it come from? HPAI is carried by waterfowl and tends to travel with flocks of ducks and geese as they migrate. Waterfowl are natural carriers of Avian Influenza viruses, but typically do not become ill from the disease.
What happens if a flock tests positive? Farms infected with HPAI are placed under quarantine (no birds come or leave), depopulation occurs, birds are composted in the barn, and life more than sucks for a month or more. Also USDA officials set up a 10 km (~6 mile) zone where they identify all producers and back yard enthusiasts and they are ALSO placed on quarantine and monitored closely. Though this might seem a little crazy at first, it is not like response officials are taping your face to every light pole. They are NOT allowed to share your identity with anyone in the area. So don’t be that person that rather than reporting just moves to “off with their heads!” Instead call your veterinarian or the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory at 320-231-5170 if you are seeing signs in your flocks (signs include….well the signs basically are sick or dead birds, so if they act sick or dead give a shout). We are not the bad guys, believe it or not we want to stop the spread and get commerce and backyard enjoyment back to normal as fast as possible. Only you can prevent forest fires….er uh highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Also as of March 31st the Minnesota Board of Animal Health is issuing a 31-day statewide ban on all poultry sales and exhibitions effective Friday, April 1 through Sunday, May 1. The ban includes all live poultry community sales, swaps, fairs, exhibitions and other events where live poultry and susceptible birds are brought together. Direct sales of baby poultry either in stores or via mail by National Poultry Improvement Plan authorized sellers are still allowed.
Lets all work together to help get this issue corrected before the fair season hits this summer or those poultry barns and fancy peacocks will be missing from all the fun. Any questions give me a call, I’m no poultry expert but know enough to be dangerous. The below link is to the MN BAH and is continually updating.
https://www.bah.state.mn.us/hpai/