PETALUMA, Calif. — 

Mike Weber received the dreaded news that every poultry farmer dreads last month: his chickens had tested positive for avian flu.

As per government regulations, Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, was required to euthanize its entire population of 550,000 egg-laying hens in order to contain the spread of the disease to other farms in Sonoma County, located north of San Francisco.

Weber, while standing in a vacant hen house, expressed that the current situation is causing trauma and grief for everyone. Petaluma, which is renowned for being the Egg Basket of the World, is now experiencing the devastation of seeing their egg basket engulfed in flames.

One year after the outbreak of the bird flu, which caused a significant increase in egg prices and shortages, the highly pathogenic avian influenza is causing chaos in California. This state had previously avoided the widespread poultry farm outbreaks that occurred in the Midwest.

A state of emergency has been declared in Sonoma County due to a highly infectious virus. In the last two months, over 1 million birds have been euthanized on commercial farms in an effort to contain the outbreak. This has had a negative impact on the local economy and those who work on the farms, as well as customers.

Several large commercial egg-producing farms in Merced County, located in Central California, have also experienced severe outbreaks in the past few weeks.

According to specialists, avian influenza is transmitted by ducks, geese, and other birds that migrate. These waterfowl can harbor the virus without becoming ill and can easily transmit it to chicken and turkey farms, as well as backyard flocks, through their droppings and nasal secretions.

Poultry farms in California are enforcing stringent biosecurity protocols in order to control the spread of the illness. Annette Jones, the State Veterinarian, has advised farmers to keep their flocks indoors until June, even for organic chickens who are typically allowed outdoor access.

According to Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, migration will continue for a few more months. Therefore, we must remain extremely cautious in order to safeguard our birds.

The absence of nearby chickens resulted in a significant increase in egg costs during the holiday season in the San Francisco Bay Area, until grocery stores and eateries were able to secure suppliers from elsewhere.

Although bird flu has been present for many years, the recent instance of the virus in 2022 has led to the culling of approximately 82 million birds, primarily egg-laying chickens, across 47 states in the U.S. This information was reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To contain the spread of the virus, all birds in an infected flock are euthanized.

In January 2023, the cost of twelve eggs increased significantly to $4.82. However, as egg producers increased their flocks and outbreaks were contained, egg prices eventually returned to their usual range. The prices of turkey and chicken also rose, partly due to the impact of the virus.

According to Maurice Pitesky, a poultry specialist at the University of California, Davis, the spread of the virus in the commercial poultry industry is a significant problem with global implications. The virus has been detected on all continents except for Australia.

According to Pitesky, climate change is causing an increase in the likelihood of disease outbreaks due to altered weather patterns that disrupt the migration of wild birds. An example of this is the heavy rainfall experienced last year, which resulted in the creation of new habitats for waterfowl in California, some of which were in close proximity to poultry farms.

The USDA reports that in California, the outbreak has affected approximately 7 million chickens across 40 commercial flocks and 24 backyard flocks. Most of the outbreaks have taken place in the past two months in the North Coast and Central Valley regions.

The increasing population of backyard chickens has raised concerns among industry leaders about the possibility of them contracting and transmitting avian flu to larger, commercial farms.

According to Rodrigo Gallardo, a researcher at UC Davis who specializes in avian influenza, our wild bird population is infected with a virus. If your birds come into contact with these wild birds, they are at risk of becoming infected and becoming sick.

Gallardo recommends that those who own backyard chickens should wear fresh attire and footwear to safeguard their flocks from potential infection. In the event of a high mortality rate among the chickens, testing for avian flu should be considered.

Ettamarie Peterson, a former educator in Petaluma, has approximately 50 chickens that lay eggs she sells for 50 cents each from her barn in the backyard.

Peterson expressed great worry about the spread of avian flu through wild birds, as there is no way to prevent them from carrying and spreading the disease. In the case that any birds in a flock become infected, the entire flock must be eliminated.

Although Weber’s great-grandparents established Sunrise Farms over 100 years ago, the farm still experienced an outbreak despite implementing rigorous biosecurity protocols to safeguard the flock.

Weber expressed that the virus had severely and rapidly affected the birds. Upon entering, it was evident that the birds had perished. The emotional impact of witnessing once healthy young birds now lifeless cannot be put into words.

Following the euthanization of over 500,000 chickens at Sunrise Farms, Weber and his team spent their Christmas break disposing of the remains. Subsequently, they have been clearing and sanitizing the hen houses.

Weber is optimistic that the farm will receive the green light from federal authorities to reintroduce chicks to the farm in the upcoming season. After that, it would take approximately five months for the hens to reach maturity and begin laying eggs.

He is grateful that two farms belonging to his company have remained unaffected and are still able to provide eggs to their customers. However, overcoming the consequences of the outbreak will be a challenging task.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us,” stated Weber. “We plan to make another attempt and maintain our team of employees as they have put in a great effort to establish this company.”

Source: voanews.com