how many chickens died from bird flu 2023

APHIS confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in the United States on February 8, 2022. Since then, we have worked swiftly to identify and respond to detections and mitigate the virus’ impact on U.S. poultry production and trade.

Detections are higher in the fall and spring, because we continue to see wild birds spreading virus as they migrate to their seasonal homes. APHIS continues to work closely with State animal health officials on surveillance efforts to look for the virus in commercial, backyard, and wild birds. We also continue to encourage all bird owners to practice strong biosecurity—that means reducing opportunities for wildlife to spread the virus to their birds and preventing the spread of the virus from one premises to another.

To provide context on the overall size of the U.S. poultry flock, there are more than 368.2 million egg-laying chickens in the United States. In 2022, more than 9.5 billion broiler chickens and 208 million turkeys were processed in the United States (data from USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service).

The dashboard below is designed to provide a current snapshot of confirmed HPAI detections in the United States. While it also includes summary data compiled since the outbreak began, looking at cases confirmed over the last 30 days provides the best picture of how the virus is currently impacting U.S. birds. We expect the number of cases to ebb and flow as the levels of virus continues to change in different areas based on wild bird movement.

“The birds were dead when you walked in because the virus had killed them so quickly,” Weber stated. “When you walk in and see perfectly healthy young birds that have just been laid out, heartbreaking doesn’t quite capture how you feel. ”.

Petaluma resident Ettamarie Peterson, a retired teacher, raises a flock of about fifty chickens, which she sells eggs for fifty cents apiece from her backyard barn.

A dozen eggs now cost $4, more than twice as much. 82 at its peak in January 2023. As egg producers increased their flocks and contained outbreaks, egg prices went back to normal. Prices for chicken and turkey also increased, in part because of the virus.

At Sunrise Farms, Weber and his staff put more than half a million chickens to sleep, and then they spent the Christmas break throwing away the carcasses. They have been decontaminating and cleaning the hen houses ever since.

Merced County in Central California has also been severely affected; in recent weeks, there have been outbreaks at multiple sizable commercial farms that produce eggs.

On February 8, 2022, APHIS confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in the United States. Since then, we have moved quickly to detect, address, and lessen the impact of the virus on U S. poultry production and trade.

On Monday, April 1, the U. S. The Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has redesigned its website to better serve the needs of its stakeholders. Several problems, including broken links and misdirected pages in some sections of the new website, have been brought to our attention. We are working as quickly as possible to fix them. Thank you for your patience.

The purpose of the dashboard below is to present a current overview of verified HPAI detections in the US. The greatest image of how the virus is currently affecting U.S. citizens can be obtained by examining cases that have been confirmed within the last 30 days, even though the summary data gathered since the outbreak’s start S. birds. We anticipate a fluctuation in the number of cases as the virus’s levels shift over time in various locations due to the movement of wild birds.

Since wild birds are still spreading viruses as they migrate to their seasonal homes, detections are higher in the fall and spring. APHIS and State officials in charge of animal health continue to collaborate closely on surveillance programs aimed at finding the virus in backyard, wild, and commercial birds. Additionally, we still urge all bird owners to practice strict biosecurity, which entails limiting the chances that wildlife will infect their birds and stopping the virus from moving from one location to another.

FAQ

How many chickens died from bird flu recently?

By the end of 2022, more than 43 million egg-laying hens died from the bird influenza or to depopulation since the outbreak began. Those deaths were spread across two waves — from February to June, 30.7 million hens died, and from September to December another 12.6 million hens died.

Is there a bird flu outbreak in 2023?

The egg industry already is experiencing some tightening of supply following detections of bird flu late in 2023 and in early January, coupled with the busy Easter season, where Americans typically consume an average of 3 billion eggs, said Marc Dresner, a spokesperson for the American Egg Board.

Where is the bird flu outbreak 2024?

Last week sick dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas tested positive for bird flu. Bird flu was later reported in a Michigan dairy herd that included cows transported from Texas. Cattle in New Mexico and Idaho are also presumed to be positive for the disease, officials said.

What is the death rate of the bird flu?

However human infection is rare and mainly affects those with close contact to birds, including poultry farm workers or those with smaller flocks at home. Since 2003, there have been 868 cases of human infection with H5N1 reported, of which 457 were fatal—a 53 percent case fatality rate.