Calling all youth flock owners to help in protecting all North Carolina flocks!

High Pathological Avian Influenza (known as High Path AI or HPAI) is a deadly disease for chickens and turkeys which is caused by a virus that can be easily spread.

Migratory birds moving over the Atlantic flyway are able to carry the virus without showing symptoms. North Carolina is part of the Atlantic flyway. As of Jan. 27, 2022, 53 migratory birds (hunter-harvested) tested positive for a serious and fatal type of HPAI (Eurasian H5 HPAI).

Do you have a backyard flock? Backyard flocks have the potential to come in close contact with migratory birds that could possibly carry HPAI. This is what you can do to help protect your flock during this critical time in the next 30 days (the time frame migratory birds are most likely flying over NC):

Being 'COOPED UP’ is a good thing! Keep your flock ENCLOSED in a pen without access to wild birds (avoid uncovered free ranging of birds for next 30 days).

For more of this story, click here.