MISSOULA — Millions of birds across the United States have been impacted by avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, since 2022.
But H5N1 isn't just limited to birds anymore as animals from grizzly bears to dairy cows have all tested positive for the virus. The virus is proving deadly, especially for those in the agriculture industry.
We learned what's at stake from a woman east of Missoula who lost her entire flock of chickens to the virus.
“When I got home, there were quite a few more birds dying and dead, they literally were all over the yard,” said Christy Cummings who owns a large flock of chickens just east of Missoula.
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“From Wednesday night till Sunday, Sunday afternoon, twoish. It was close to 50 birds. I called the state vet office to report the high mortality rate because, at that point, I knew something was really wrong,” Cummings told MTN.
By Saturday evening, Cummings’ flock became the second confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in chicken flocks in Montana in just the past two weeks.
Montana State Veterinarian Dr. Tahnee Szymanski said that the detection in Cumming’s large flock caused the state to become involved in the response to the virus.
“For flocks that participate in any sort of movement of poultry or poultry products off that premises — they sell eggs, they, you know, sell birds, whatever it may be — those flocks have to be depopulated. And that is really just an attempt to control the spread of the virus on the landscape,” Szymanski explained to MTN.
“For true backyard flocks, somebody that just has a small number of birds, no longer have to depopulate their flocks because there’s not really a risk of moving the virus around the landscape because they’re not moving any poultry products off the farm if you will," Szymanski continued.
Cummings whole flock had to be euthanized to prevent further spread of the virus.
“It’s been pretty devastating. I hatched over half these chickens myself. I physically grabbed each chicken myself and handed them off to be euthanized,” Cummings said.
HPAI is spread primarily through wild water foul. If you have a flock, Dr. Szymanski recommends several actions such as securing your feed, water and flock to the point where no wild bird populations can come in contact with them. That includes keeping your flock inside the coup.
According to the USDA, for those who consume poultry products from small operations like Cummings, there is no risk of contracting the virus if the products are properly cooked.
Cummings plans to rebuild her flock but, the rebuilding will not start for a while.
“Once they have it, there is no way to get rid of it. Our home is quarantined for 120 days. I won’t be able to have chickens again until the place is cleared of the influenza virus,” Cummings stated.
Additional guidance and information about the bird flu can be found on the Montana Department of Livestock website.
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