By Glenn Rolfe

Delmarva’s poultry industry was on high alert for avian influenza Wednesday following confirmation of new two cases of the highly pathogenic respiratory virus at farms in Delaware and Maryland.

Following an investigation by the Delaware and Maryland Departments of Agriculture, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed Tuesday that poultry at a young-hen operation in New Castle County and at a Mountaire Farms-contracted broiler farm in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza.

In a statement Wednesday, Mountaire Farms reported that its farm was immediately quarantined and that the company is working with state and federal officials to swiftly depopulate these birds to help prevent the spread of disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system, and nearby farms are being monitored closely, the release stated.

“Since (highly pathogenic avian influenza) first appeared in Nova Scotia in December, we have been preparing for this potential outcome with heightened biosecurity and continued communication to our growers,” said Phillip Plylar, president of Mountaire Farms.

“As we’ve seen outbreaks increase across the country, our teams have been working hard to prepare for a worst-case scenario, stocking up on any needed supplies and running a mock scenario. Although we were unable to prevent this occurrence, our teams will continue working to help prevent the spread of the disease.”

Officials did not identify the poultry company affiliated with the New Castle County farm.

Joel Wharton, a Perdue grower with six houses on two farms, near Gumboro, is breathing a little sigh of relief, having shipped out his most recent flock of about 130,000 birds just over a week ago.

“You always hear these different disease outbreaks, but AI is the one that definitely gets your attention,” he said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m glad my chickens are gone. It’s always in the back of your mind when your chickens are a couple weeks from going out, ‘Gosh, that would be really rough.’”

This outbreak is the first time avian influenza has been detected in a Delmarva broiler farm since 2004, according to the Delmarva Chicken Association. Two other recent cases of HPAI in local flocks involved layers, not broilers.

“While Delmarva’s chicken community has worked hard to prevent avian influenza from affecting their flocks and was able to keep the 2015 U.S. HPAI outbreak from impacting us, the ease with which this disease can spread from bird to bird means HPAI poses a significant risk to broiler chickens,” said Holly Porter, DCA’s executive director.

“Delmarva Chicken Association and the chicken industry is working closely with USDA and state authorities, as they quarantine, depopulate, disinfect and test these affected farms. These chickens will not enter the food system, and properly cooked chicken remains completely safe to eat.”

The Delaware-Maryland Avian Influenza Joint Information Center also released a statement Wednesday, saying, “Considering these new cases and the prevalence of the virus in the wild bird population, all poultry owners need to increase their vigilance in protecting their flocks from contracting avian influenza.”

In addition, the Delaware Farm Bureau took news of the two cases seriously.

“It was really important as soon as we found out to reach out to our members and let them know that there were cases and that there are things that they can do to increase their own biosecurity at their farms,” said spokeswoman Jen Antonik. “To educate them, we have newsletters every week, and so we sent out an additional email to let them all know that there were these cases, and we included steps that they can take to mitigate the spread of disease.”

Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure. It 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.

This virus affects poultry, along with some wild species, such as ducks, geese, shorebirds and raptors.

For chicken growers, protecting flocks from disease is a year-round effort. The main focus is to prevent people from inadvertently bringing wild-bird droppings contaminated with the virus into chicken houses on shoes, clothes or equipment.

Additionally, chicken growers have taken precautions to prevent wild birds or rodents from gaining access to their chicken houses. DCA issued additional advisories about HPAI to its members beginning in late 2021, when scientists shared findings that the virus was more prevalent in wild waterfowl than in past years.

“Any news of positive cases of avian influenza is concerning,” said Diana Souder, spokeswoman for Perdue Farms. “At Perdue, we know biosecurity remains the best defense to ensure the safety and welfare of the birds in our care, including the spread of AI and other poultry-related diseases.”

In accordance with national guidelines, Perdue closely monitors the health of every flock with daily updates that quickly alert its farmers and field service personnel to any potential sickness, and tests 100% of those flocks for AI prior to transport to processing facilities, Ms. Souder said.

Mr. Wharton, whose next delivery of chicks arrives in late March, said the protocol is “they always preach biosecurity, biosecurity, which basically means be careful where you go. Try not to travel to other farms and then come back to your farm. Try not to wear the same clothes that you work around the farm in and then go into the chicken house, and with the same shoes.”

He hopes this is the last of the bird flu.

“I just pray that it doesn’t get over here, and hopefully, it dies out where it is,” said Mr. Wharton. “Usually, warmer weather tends to help. We pull more air when it gets warmer in the houses. And sometimes, these things aren’t as bad. A lot of these diseases, it seems like they can’t survive in the heat as well as they can in the cold weather and cooler air.”

Given these new cases and the prevalence of the virus in the wild-bird population, agriculture experts noted these key biosecurity practices:

• Don’t walk through or drive equipment in areas where wildlife feces may be. If you can’t avoid this, clean shoes and equipment thoroughly.
• Remove loose feed.
• Keep visitors to a minimum.
• Wash your hands before and after coming in contact with live poultry.
• Provide disposable shoe covers or disinfectant footbaths for anyone having contact with your flock.
• Change clothes before entering poultry areas and before exiting the property.
•  When handling birds, wear protective garments or disposable coveralls, boots and headgear.
• Clean and disinfect tools or equipment before moving them to another poultry facility.
• Look for signs of illness.

Backyard flock owners in Delaware who notice signs of HPAI in their birds — such as sneezing, gasping for air, coughing and/or runny nose — should email poultry.health@delaware.gov or call 302-698-4507.

In Maryland, any unusual or sudden increases in sick birds should be reported to the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810. Commercial chicken growers and backyard flock owners can email questions about the outbreak to md.birdflu@maryland.gov.