What You Need to Know About Bird Flu in Michigan

Most of the 8.9 million chickens and other poultry that have contracted bird flu are in factory farms, but backyard chickens aren’t immune either, USDA officials say. (Photo by roboppy via Flickr)

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Michigan agriculture officials are keeping a close watch on the state’s poultry flocks after an outbreak of bird flu, a deadly virus that USDA officials say moves quickly from one farm to the next, even when strict security measures are in place.

Jennifer Holton, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, told WWJ/CBS Detroit there have been no confirmed cases of the deadly H5N2 virus, which can kill chickens within 48 hours and has devastated poultry farms in dozen Midwest states. If the virus is found in Michigan, officials are prepared to respond quickly, she said.

It’s too soon to breathe a sigh of relief in Michigan, where farmers maintain flocks of 10.5 million hens laying about 227 million eggs annually and meat flocks producing 3.8 million broilers a year. Researchers think the virus is spread by migrating waterfowl, and they’re just now making it north to the Mississippi flyway, according to Michigan State University.

Researchers also think the virus is a mutant strain that likely descended from the H5N8 virus that has been killing chickens and other poultry in Europe and Asia for several years, NBC News said.

What Will Happen to Egg Prices?

The spread of the virus has been devastating in places like Iowa, where 5.3 million chickens were destroyed. In all, more than a dozen states from Arkansas to Minnesota and Canada have reported the virus in chicken and turkey confinements, and in a few wild birds.

About 8.9 million birds have been euthanized as a result.

“This is very devastating to individual producers,” USDA Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. John Clifford told NBC News. “We have good biosecurity in this country, but I think we are dealing with something that is a little bit different now than we have in the past.

“We are going to have to change some things,” he said.

Euthanizing 5.3 million chickens in Iowa, the nation’s largest egg producer, is likely to result in some pain at the cash register. Dave Swenson, an Iowa State University economist, told KCCI-TV he expects egg prices to rise as producers try to recoup losses from a sharp reduction in the egg supply.

“You’re going to get some kind of price response, it’s automatic,” he said. “You’re going to have a reduction in supply, you’re going to have an affect some place.

Is It Safe to Eat the Eggs?

There haven’t been any human illnesses related to the outbreaks and the risk to human health is low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poultry products, including eggs, aren’t affected by the virus, but both Michigan State University Extension and the USDA still recommend properly cooking all poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Holton said agriculture officials are working with poultry producers of all scales, including people with backyard chickens, to make sure they’re taking appropriate biosecurity measures.

Besides common sense measures like isolating new birds before introducing them to the larger flock, not sharing equipment, changing shoes before entering an egg production facility and liberally using disinfectant, some poultry farms are closing facilities to people who don’t work there, WWJ reported.