Have you noticed the egg price fluctuations? That’s because dozens of thousands of poor chickens died of the bird flu.
What is bird flu?
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection that primarily affects birds but can sometimes spread to humans and other animals. It is caused by different strains of the avian influenza virus, with H5N1 and H7N9 being the deadliest and most concerning for humans.
The virus mostly affects birds, but people also can get ill if they come in contact with sick animals. There are registered cases of transmitting the disease to cattle (cows, pigs) and pet animals.
Bird flu affects the body by causing flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. In severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, breathing difficulties, and organ failure. The virus attacks the lungs and can cause severe inflammation, making it hard to breathe. It may also affect other organs like the heart and kidneys, leading to serious complications and deaths. Many cases become deadly, especially if not treated quickly.
How is bird flu transmitted?
Bird flu spreads mainly through direct contact with infected birds, their droppings, or surfaces contaminated by the virus.
Wild birds, especially waterfowls like geese, are the main carriers of the virus. They often don’t get sick because they have a natural immunity to the virus, but they can spread it to other birds, including chickens, turkeys, and farm poultry.
The virus reaches chickens on farms when wild birds fly over or land near poultry areas, contaminating water, feed, or surfaces with their droppings.
It can also spread from surface to surface through farm equipment, workers’ shoes, and even rodents or other small animals carrying the virus. Once it enters a farm, bird flu spreads quickly among chickens, especially in crowded conditions.
Why is bird flu so dangerous?
Bird flu is extremely dangerous because it spreads fast and can kill many birds in a short time. On farms, it can wipe out entire flocks of chickens or turkeys in just one day, causing huge losses for farmers. The direct death rate of most of the variations of the virus is from 56% to 100%.
To stop the virus, authorities often must kill all birds in an infected area, leading to financial ruin for farmers and food shortages.
Backyard hen houses are also at risk because wild birds can bring the virus, making small flocks sick or forcing owners to get rid of their birds.
Domestic animals, like cats and dogs, can sometimes catch the virus if they eat infected birds. There were registered cases in the US when large cattle (cows, steers, pigs) were infected with the bird flu virus, too.
For humans, bird flu is rare but happens and can be deadly, causing severe lung infections and even death in many cases. If the virus mutates and spreads easily between people, it could cause a global health crisis.
How does it affect you?
If you are a poultry farm owner – a single case of bird flu among your chickens or turkeys can wipe out the whole flock in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, what happens in many locations is a healthy-looking flock in the morning is completely dead by the end of the day.
Here are some news articles about those unhappy situations:
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-front-lines-bird-flu-egg.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/bird-flue-h5n9-california
If you have a small hen house in your backyard, your little feathered friends are also in danger. Wild birds often seek food from hencoops, and they can bring the deadly avian flu virus with them.
Cattle farms are not safe, either. There were registered cases of transmitting the bird flu virus to cows, steers, and pigs, causing their illness and the necessity to cull the whole livestock to prevent the spread of the disease.
Even kids, home pets, and you, yourself, may be in danger. There were hundreds of cases of transmitting bird flu from birds to people and domestic animals, and more than half of them caused severe health consequences and deaths.
What can you do to protect yourself and your birds?
1. Keep wild birds away from your flock – protect entrances to your farm and coop with netting, don’t let wild birds hang out under your roof, prevent the issue using spikes and bird gel, and regularly spray surroundings with natural bird repellent to keep unwanted birds away and wanted ones safe.
2. Don’t let farm animals drink from open water sources where wild birds gather. Drive the wild geese away in a harmless way.
3. Clean and disinfect shoes, tools, and equipment before entering poultry areas to prevent the virus from spreading. Use a strong disinfectant rated to kill avian influenza viruses.
4. Regularly clean and disinfect all surfaces in the coops and hen houses and farms by spraying a hospital-grade disinfectant capable of killing the bird flu virus (do not spray the disinfectant on live animals or people!).
5. Farmers and backyard poultry owners should wash their hands after handling birds and avoid contact with sick or dead birds.
6. Cook poultry and eggs properly (to at least 165°F or 74°C) to kill the bird flu virus and other dangerous viruses and bacteria, making the food safe to eat.
7. If a bird flu outbreak happens nearby, follow local health and agriculture guidelines to help stop the spread.
How can Flock Free help you in preventing bird flu outbreaks?
- A wide range of highly effective non-toxic bird control repellents helping you drive unwanted birds away and keep your farm and home safe and clean.
- Unique EPA-registered hospital-grade surface sanitizers laboratory-proven to kill known varieties of avian influenza (bird flu) viruses.
- Nation-wide professional installation of netting and implementation of efficient bird control programs.
- Consultations, information, training, and useful bird control videos.
Contact us now! Don’t wait until it’s too late!