Dr. Lindsey Pollock, a Winlock veterinarian and Lewis County Commissioner, said people often don’t realize that according to 2017 data, poultry and eggs are Lewis County’s top agricultural product — raking in more cash than dairy or Christmas trees.
With the Washington Department of Agriculture confirming the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) — also known as bird flu — in a backyard flock in Pacific County, Pollock said poultry farmers in Lewis County should be taking extra precautions to protect their feathered friends.
Dr. Dana Dobbs with the Washington Department of Agriculture described the situation leading to the discovery of the bird flu in Pacific County during a news conference on Friday afternoon. Dobbs said a backyard chicken farmer called in about a sick bird.
“A crow flew in with his chickens. Literally, the next day, he described his chickens as ‘they were dropping like flies,’” Dobbs said.
Pollock said commercial farms are more likely to have biosecurity checks in place as birds are often kept in large indoor facilities. Bird flu is more likely to be transmitted to backyard flocks through migrating birds.
As waterfowl begin to migrate north, the disease is more likely to spread in Washington. Oregon also reported its first case of the same bird flu this last week.
“Pretty much all species of birds should be considered susceptible,” said Dr. Colin Gillin, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Gillin added that waterfowl and seabirds appear to be the most common carriers of the disease so far.
When The Chronicle asked Dobbs about protecting backyard birds, she recommended farmers visit the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s “defend the flock” website, which has a variety of tips on biosecurity.
Dobbs said besides what people can find through the USDA resources, the best steps farmers can take are “keeping things cleaned and disinfected, limiting access to visitors who have poultry, don't share your equipment with other folks, things like that.”
Dobbs added that on the commercial side of poultry farming, the department has been prepared for the bird flu to show up locally for quite a while.
When bird flu is detected in a flock, the entire flock has to be euthanized, or as the department of agriculture words it, “depopulated.”
“It’s very sad,” Pollock said, but added that it’s better than watching birds slowly suffer and die.
Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products. As always, both wild and domestic poultry should be properly cooked before they are consumed.
Deaths or illness among domestic birds should be reported to the WSDA Avian Health Program at 1-800-606-3056. For wild birds, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has an online reporting tool at https://bit.ly/3N0pnOf.
