Poultry Growers Should Be Vigilant
Published: Friday, October 24, 2025
Last week, the Indiana Board of Animal Health announced that the Highly Pathenogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has once again been found in a number of flocks in LaGrange and Elkhart counties.
In the opening months of 2025, we experienced an outbreak of avian flu in poultry flocks here in northern Indiana, the largest outbreak to date. While not in the news during the summer, HPAI was still lurking about, and with our large numbers of poultry here in northern Indiana, our growers, both commercial and backyard, need to remain vigilant. As winter approaches, wild birds will be migrating south, and passing through our area, spreading the virus in the process.
BOAH takes avian flu seriously for several reasons. First, HPAI can move rapidly through a flock and a neighborhood, devastating the economy. And second, some strains of the flu have been known to jump into the human population and make people sick. You will not get sick from properly prepared poultry meat or eggs.
In every case of human avian flu to date, the affected person was exposed to the virus routinely over the course of weeks and did not follow routine protective protocols.
When there is an outbreak, BOAH creates a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) perimeter circle around the affected flocks, and then goes door to door searching for additional sick animals within that circle. Once the 6.2-mile circle is checked, a second ring of 20 kilometers (12.4 mile) is searched. If more sick birds are discovered, new circles are drawn and the process starts again until no new sickly animals are found.
I live in the area where the flu struck some duck barns in 2022. The investigating veterinarians were very thorough and professional in their search. Sick birds are euthanized and disposed of in humane and sanitary methods.
In the process of looking for sick birds, bulk tank samples will be pulled from all grade A dairies within the surveillance area. The HPAI virus has yet to be found in Indiana dairy herds, but it has been discovered in other states. While the virus does not have a huge impact on dairy herd production, it can accumulate in the udder and be passed to humans through raw milk. Drinking raw milk is not advisable at this time.
There are a few steps that may help reduce the chance your birds are not affected. Most importantly, if you notice sickly birds, do not hesitate to call your veterinarian or BOAH. The quicker your response, the better the chance more flocks are not affected.
Second keep your birds in an escape proof enclosure, such as a backyard run, preferably covered with wire or netting. Wild birds stealing food or water are thought to be common sources for infection in backyard flocks. Our local commercial growers typically pull their birds indoors during an outbreak.
Consider having dedicated shoes and outerwear when caring for the flock. Leave boots and coveralls in an adjacent container between visits. Be sure to wash your hands going in and out of the flock. Tools can also carry the virus, so dedicating tools to stay with a particular coupe or barn can minimize the risk between buildings.
Keeping control of predators, such as dogs and cats, as well as other animals like mice or rats is important too. Those animals can spread disease by moving carcasses. It is believed some of the local barns may have been exposed by barn cats that captured sickly wild birds in neighboring fields or pastures.
Do not be misled by some of the poor information online. While writing a similar article a few years ago, I saw one person claiming her organically fed birds are not susceptible to HPAI. Tell that to our local organic growers who lost thousands of birds in 2022 and last spring. Information posted at the BOAH website or university Extension sites like Purdue, Penn State, Iowa and Minnesota is much more reliable than "Mary down the street on Facebook."
BOAH is the lead agency when avian flu is found in Indiana. They are very good about communicating with people near the affected area, if they know you are there. I would suggest you register your flock (both commercial and hobby flocks) at https://tinyurl.com/bdzzexmf or by calling 317/544-2400. People with cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses and cervids are encouraged to sign up too. If there is an outbreak of any disease within any animal species you own, you will receive a notification. It's a very impressive system.
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