A case of Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, was confirmed in a commercial chicken flock in Wisconsin, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.
According to the agency, samples from the chickens were tested at the Veterinary Diagnostic Library Service Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The flock, located on a property in Jefferson County, Wisconsin — about 50 miles outside Milwaukee — has been quarantined. According to the USDA, the chickens will be destroyed.
The outbreak has farmers throughout the Midwest on edge. The Iowa Department of Agriculture announced Friday that nearly 920,000 laying hens were destroyed in Iowa after that state’s third outbreak.
According to the Des Moines Register, Iowa produces the most eggs of any state — 55 million hens producing 16 billion eggs each year.
Farmers hope to avoid a widespread outbreak like the one that killed 50 million birds across 15 states in 2015.
— This article is based in part on wire-service reports.
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
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