Dover, Del. (November 21, 2023) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture is urging all poultry owners, including commercial producers and backyard flock owners, to take precautions to protect their flocks from disease after a commercial broiler flock in Caroline County, Maryland, was preliminarily confirmed to have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Further confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory is pending.

Avian influenza is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. Avian influenza can infect poultry, such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, pheasants, geese, and guinea fowl, and is carried by some wild bird species, such as ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.

Wild birds typically do not show signs of illness but can shed the virus at high levels in their manure or droppings if infected. In fact, one gram of contaminated manure, enough to cover a dime, can infect one million birds. Therefore, Delaware poultry is at risk from exposure if they can access areas where free-flying waterfowl and wild birds are in the environment. Additionally, if a person steps in contaminated manure while out and about, they can bring the virus back to their domesticated birds, where the birds can eat it, causing infection.

Biosecurity refers to everything people can do to protect their flock to stop anything that causes disease away from the birds, property, and people. Anyone raising or working around poultry should follow these key biosecurity practices:

• Wear designated farm clothing and shoes when working with your birds, or use disposable shoe coverings each time you enter your flock area. If you have multiple chicken houses, have a dedicated pair of footwear that you keep in each house. Use footbaths before entering a chicken house.
• Wash your hands before and after working with your birds to reduce the chance of spreading infectious particles.
• Clean and disinfect any equipment or bird housing/coops before bringing them onto your property. Avian influenza can survive in manure for several months, especially with high moisture and low temperatures.
• Starlings, songbirds, vultures, and other raptors can be carriers of avian influenza and not show signs of disease. Consider hanging a bird deterrent in the poultry house doorway when working in the poultry house while doors are open.
• Wash your vehicles and trailers after visiting other poultry facilities, and go through a car wash before you return home.
• Keep visitors to a minimum. Only allow those who are responsible for caring for your flock to come in contact with the birds. Limit, monitor, and record any movement of people, vehicles, or animals on or off your farm using a logbook. If visitors had contact with other poultry, have pet birds, or had contact with wild birds (e.g., hunting), do not let them come in contact with your flock.

When adding birds to your flock, purchase them from a reputable source. The baby chicks purchased at local farm stores come from NPIP-certified flocks tested and shown to be free from avian influenza. When they are two weeks old, these chicks will typically leave the store with their new owner, so they are considered low-risk for having the disease. However, they are more susceptible to contracting the virus from their new environment once they are about three weeks old. Make sure to keep new birds or returning show birds separated from established home flocks for 30 days.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture requires the registration of all locations where live poultry is kept. This allows timely information on disease incidents to be sent to all producers. If you have not registered your flock, please visit https://de.gov/poultry to access the Backyard Flock Registration Form.

No matter the size, all poultry farms should be monitoring flocks for any signs of increased mortality. Pay particular attention to see if any birds show signs of respiratory illness or distress, such as sneezing, gasping for air, coughing, and/or runny nose. Other signs of HPAI in poultry can include swelling around the eyes, neck, and head; purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs; tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head and neck, or any combination; watery, green diarrhea; lack of energy, poor appetite; and a drop in egg production, or soft or thin-shelled, misshapen eggs.

If You Have Sick Poultry or Experience Increased Mortality in Your Flock:

• Commercial poultry producers should follow the procedures of contacting the company they grow for when they notice signs of disease.
• Delaware backyard flock owners who notice any signs of HPAI in their flock should call the Delaware Poultry Health Hotline at 302-698-4507 or email poultry.health@delaware.gov and provide your contact information, flock size, location, and concerns.
• Backyard flock owners will be contacted if a sample needs to be taken. Do not take dead or sick birds to a lab to be tested or move them off-site.

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