OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — The highly contagious avian flu has now been reported in backyard poultry flocks in Carter, Wagoner and Grady Counties.
It's also been found in a domestic swan in Oklahoma County.
State veterinarian Dr. Hall said this particular strain of avian influenza is killing chickens "rapidly."
It just so happens that this news breaks the weekend of the Poultry Show in Norman.
While poultry producers around the state get ready for a show at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, Collin Hardcastle says it concerns him to hear about the avian flu cases reported.
"It gets a little bit worrying," Hardcastle said. "I know I have a regimen to protect all of my birds, but I don’t know if I go onto somebody’s property that they have the same kind of regimen.”
At Hardcastle's farm, he follows strict safety precautions to protect his animals.
"I don’t wear the same pair of shoes to each pen. I have an alcohol tub that we step in and step out of, and then go into the coops."
These are steps Dr. Hall says are crucial, as he believes wild waterfowl, including geese, ducks and swans, will continue to spread this virus.
"As these birds continue to migrate through, they're looking for a place to rest," Dr. Hall said.
OSU's Ag Extension division wants poultry producers and backyard flock owners to be on high alert. They also recommend adhering to strict biosecurity protocols to prevent flocks from catching avian influenza.
According to Dr. Hall, those birds will likely rest in ponds as the weather starts to warm back up again.
"So when they get on a pond or get on the edge of a pond and start looking for things to eat, they defecate. Then that virus is coming out there."
He says keep domestic poultry away from bodies of water, and feed them inside. The most proactive way to protect your flock, they say, is to reduce exposure between your domestic birds and wild waterfowl.
“We encourage flock owners to do all they can to eliminate domestic poultry exposure to wild waterfowl, areas where wild waterfowl gather and domestic waterfowl that mingle with wild waterfowl."
Some other tips they recommend:
- Restrict visitor access to birds
- Prevent contact with wild birds
- Refrain from visiting other poultry operation locations
- Disinfect footwear before entering a barn or coop
- Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling birds
- Reduce availability of food, water and any potential nesting areas for wild birds
- Fix holes in roofs, screens and walls of poultry barns or coops
- Do not share equipment with other bird owners
- Birds that have been near other poultry should be quarantined from the rest of the flock for at least 14 days
Dr. Hall says this current strain of the virus has not shown any signs of infecting humans, and eating poultry products won't affect you. He adds: this situation doesn't put humans in danger, as long as precautions are taken.
"If that chicken, turkey or eggs are prepared properly, there's no danger whatsoever to humans from eating the product."
Some signs of HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) are coughing, difficulty breathing, extreme depression, swelling of head & comb, decrease in egg production and quietness among the flock.
If you are concerned about illness in your birds, you should contact your veterinarian or county Extension educator. You can also contact the State Vet's office at 405-522-6141.
