Indiana records bird flu at turkey farm, 1st new case in more than a year

Bird flu found at Daviess County turkey farm

WASHINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A commercial turkey farm in Indiana has tested positive for bird flu, the Indiana Board of Animal Health says, the first positive commercial flock found in the state in more than a year.

In an update issued Tuesday, the state says the farm in Daviess County has 13,071 birds. The farm is under a quarantine. The state did not name the farm nor say where it’s located. I-69 runs through Daviess County, which is about a 1 hour, 50 minute drive southwest of downtown Indianapolis.

A control area around the farm contains 45 commercial flocks and 48 hobby and backyard flocks within 10 miles, and 56 commercial flocks within 20 miles, the state says. Those 56 flocks include farms in Daviess, Greene and Martin counties. Testing will be done at nearby flocks to determine whether the bird flu has spread.

The last reported avian influenza outbreak in Indiana involved a noncommercial flock in Posey County, the Board of Animal Health says. In that instance, 23 birds were affected.

Since February 2022, Indiana had recorded 11 commercial poultry flocks of ducks and turkeys, and six small, hobby flocks with mixed bird species as having bird flu outbreaks.

A 2022 outbreak in Indiana led to the loss of nearly 229,000 birds statewide between February and December. More than 1,000 premises in the United States have been identified as having bird flu since February 2022. Wild birds including waterfowl, raptors and common birds also have been found to have avian influenza.

Nationally, Indiana Board of Health says, the state ranks first in production of ducks, second in layer chickens and table eggs, and third in turkeys. Indiana also is a major producer of broilers.