More than 4 million chickens to be killed in Iowa after officials detect bird flu on farm
CBSN
A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected among a massive flock of egg-laying chickens in Sioux County, Iowa, officials confirmed. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch and the Associated Press, the detection will require that 4.2 million of the animals be killed.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the USDA confirmed the bird flu detection on Tuesday, marking the first case of bird flu in the state this year. The last case of the virus was detected in a backyard mixed species in December, and the last time commercial egg-laying chickens were hit in the state was last November, also in Sioux County.
According to both the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the most recently impacted flock contains 4.2 million chickens – the largest number of impacted flock in the state since more than 5 million were hit by bird flu in Osceola County in 2022. It also marks the largest number of chickens in a flock impacted by the virus so far this year nationwide, according to data from the USDA. Iowa is the top producer of eggs in the U.S., USDA data shows.
