Experts: All size flocks ‘at risk’ for deadly avian flu

Vermont and New Hampshire are both grappling with highly pathogenic avian influenza, or “bird flu,” that may endanger domestic poultry.

“There is a fairly even spread among backyard and small flocks, and commercial operations,” said Stephen Crawford, the state veterinarian at the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food. “Everyone is at risk.”

Wild birds, typically waterfowl such as ducks, carry and spread the virus. The “highly pathogenic” strains of avian flu are especially lethal to domestic poultry and have never been detected in either state before 2022. The risk to humans is minimal; there have been no documented cases of avian flu infecting people in the United States. However, state officials recommended that anyone working with poultry on a regular basis contact their doctor if they feel flu-like symptoms.

Three wild mallards tested positive for the virus in Lebanon. State workers also euthanized a flock of about 80 poultry at the Pumpkin Wall Farm Animal Sanctuary in Derry, N.H., after they confirmed the outbreak of the virus.

Meanwhile in Vermont, two bald eagles tested positive, confirming that the virus was spreading in the state’s wildlife as state officials already suspected. The virus has been detected in over 30 states.

So far, there have been 54 confirmed cases of in wildlife in New Hampshire. But with limited testing capacity, the confirmed numbers represent only a subset of infections, New Hampshire officials said.

Nationwide, over 22 million domestic poultry have died, with the overwhelming majority euthanized to prevent the spread of the flu, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The outbreak, which was first confirmed in February, is already pushing prices higher: USDA also reported that a dozen eggs costs, on average, $2.60, versus about $1.40 a year ago. USDA has identified waterfowl as the leading means of introduction of avian flu to domestic poultry, Crawford said.

Direct contact between waterfowl and domestic birds in a pond or a yard is a major risk. State officials warned that poultry should be kept away from compost piles, ponds and pools, or other places where they may interact with wild birds. But the virus can also be carried on feces, feathers and dandruff, Crawford said. Wild waterfowl flying over a coop and defecating, or boots that picked up infected feces in a field, could also initiate an outbreak.

Kaitlynn Levine, Vermont’s assistant state veterinarian, recommended that people keep their poultry inside if possible.

The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture recommends that no one lets their domestic poultry range freely through June. Then, the waterfowl migration season will end. The virus also struggles to survive in warm, dry weather, Crawford explained. However, the department may extend its recommendation further into the summer if the outbreak does not subside.

In the meantime, Crawford recommends washing hands before feeding or taking care of poultry; disinfecting water dishes and shovels; designating a specific set of shoes and coveralls for chores inside a coop; and discouraging visitors from entering a coop.

The possible symptoms are broad, from gunky eyes to low egg production. Crawford recommends contacting a veterinarian or the N.H. Department of Agriculture if anyone observes symptoms in their flocks.

“Honestly, they look like they have head colds: eyes puffy, nasal and eye discharge, respiratory symptoms lethargy,” said Levine. Sudden death is one of the best signs that there may be avian flu in a flock, she added.

The last major outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza spread through the Midwest and West in 2014 and 2015. It came to an abrupt end in June 2015 after the federal government spent $879 million to eradicate it from American poultry. More than 50 million chickens and turkeys died either from infection or euthanization, according to a USDA report. That amounted to about 12% of the U.S. table-egg laying population. The outbreak never reached the Northeast.

“We in the Northeast don’t have the number of birds, generally, that competes with Iowa and other parts of the Midwest,” Crawford said. “… Our issue is just numbers of places — lots and lots of places with small flocks.”

Whenever an infection is confirmed in a coop, all the birds are “depopulated through euthanasia” in accordance with national and international standards, he said. Meanwhile, large die-offs of wild birds suggest that this strain of avian flu may pose a greater risk to wild birds than past ones, said Dan Bergeron, a wildlife biologist with New Hampshire Fish and Game.

During this outbreak, New Hampshire Fish and Game found about 70 dead geese along the banks of a tidal river as the snow thawed. Bergeron is almost certain that there were more carcasses that they failed to find. Thousands of cranes died in Canada, and hundreds of waterfowl died in Florida.

Reports indicate that sick wild birds become unaware of their surroundings.

“Their heads and necks get limp and their heads sag. Sometimes they circle — they walk in circles, swim in circles,” Bergeron said.

But more often than not, wild birds are asymptomatic — like the two mallards in Lebanon that tested positive after routine banding. In general, they are better adapted to avian flu than their domestic counterparts.

“There is not a lot that can be done to protect wild birds,” Bergeron added. Waterfowl are highly mobile and migrate across huge swaths of land. Still, he urged people to take down bird feeders, which can become infection hotspots.

To report a sick bird, call:

The Animal Health Office at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture: (802) 828-2421

United States Department of Agriculture: (866) 536-7593

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services Wildlife Services, New Hampshire Office (to report wild birds): (603) 223-6832

New Hampshire State Veterinarian at Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food (to report domestic birds): (603) 271-2404

Claire Potter is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at cpotter@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.