What is the bird flu?
The bird flu, or avian influenza, is a class of viral infections in poultry. Ther bird flu generally refers to an influenza virus that is predominantly found among poultry like chickens, pheasants, ducks, geese, quail, and turkeys, although some variants (including the 2024-25 one) target cows. Like the flu, coronavirus, or cancer in humans, there are different variants of avian influenza. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1), or H5N1 for short, is the variant to blame for the 2024-25 spike in egg prices, which occurred because so many sick chickens had to be put down. Influenza (the “flu”) exists across tons of different genus and species. There are bird flus, human flus, swine flues, and so on. A flu is a type of highly contagious respiratory disease, so any mammal with lungs can become a target. Bird flu epidemics have appeared multiple times throughout history (it seems to happen about once ever 3-5 years). The 2024-25 variant, APAI A (H5N1), is just more dangerous for birds than the past few epidemics have been, so it’s had a bigger impact on egg and chicken prices.
Signs of Bird Flu in Your Flock
Sudden unexpected death Unfortunately, the first sign of bird flu is random and unexpected death. You may notice death rates in your flock skyrocketing out of nowhere, or that a handful of birds have suddenly died within a few days of one another.
Depressed or quiet egg layers Any egg-laying hens will tend to behave relatively dour if they’ve got bird flu. Hens may seem asocial, disinterested in nesting, or generally disagreeable if they’re ill. Keep your flock’s personality in mind here. If a hen who always seems kind of ornery and depressive is being a little flighty and inactive, don’t assume it’s the bird flu. Are your birds laying eggs at all? If so, inspect the eggs. Avian flu can cause abnormally soft or oddly-shaped eggs.
Lack of energy Chickens tend to become tired the exact same way people tend to be exhausted when they’ve got the flu. It takes resources to fight a virus, so your hens are unlikely to play or run around their environment—even when foraging for food.
Swelling around the head, neck, and eyes A hen’s comb, eyelids, wattles, and hocks may all swell up. Some birds will also turn slightly purple in the areas where they’re experiencing swelling.
Coughing or sneezing Look for any kind of nasal discharge, too. All of these are signs that a bird may be carrying avian flu. This is the primary way avian flu spreads from bird to bird. A sick chicken will infect their environment by coughing or secreting fluids and other birds will be exposed because they’re in close quarters.
Diarrhea Inspect the droppings around your flock. If you notice a lot of loose stool or evidence of diarrhea, it’s very possible your flock is dealing with the avian flu.
Loss of coordination Birds infected with avian influenza tend to stumble around, fall down, and struggle to make complex movements without tripping themselves up. Some farmers describe this symptom by saying it looks like the chickens are drunk. If birds in your flock aren’t moving like normal, they’re likely sick.
What to Do if Your Flock Has Bird Flu
Call your state USDA hotline at 1-866-536-7593 immediately. If you suspect a bird in your possession has the avian flu, you are legally required to contact the United States Department of Agriculture at 1-866-536-7593. If you reside in another country, contact your country’s agricultural department.
Quartine all people, equipment, and birds. Do not allow anyone else (animal or human) to come in contact with you, your chickens, or any of the equipment you use to take care of your chickens. If you have cage-free chickens, do not allow anyone to enter the area where they feed or sleep. What if only one of my birds appears sick? Put on coveralls, boots, gloves, eye protection, and a dust mask. Put the sick chicken in a secluded area completely separate from all other birds. Wash your hands and clothes after every interaction with a chicken from here on out. Use soap and water to wash your hands after handling a chicken and throw all of your clothes in the wash. This will prevent accidental transmission.
Create a buffer zone and wait out the illness. Set up additional security measures by creating a neutral zone between the birds and all other potential wildlife and people away. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for avian flu. Should I cull any of the sick chickens? That’s entirely up to you. Previous strains of the avian flu seem to be around 50% fatal, so it was worth quarantining birds to see if they got better. We don’t have complete data on the current outbreak right now, but it appears it may be 100% lethal, so it’s reasonable if you want to humanely kill any sick chickens before the problem gets worse.
How is the bird flu treated?
There is no treatment for bird flu in poultry. Unfortunately, there are no treatments for bird flu in poultry. The only thing you can do is quarantine affected birds and hope that they recover on their own after a period of time.
For people, antiviral medications are very effective at treating bird flu. If you suspect you might have bird flu, see a doctor. They’ll test you to confirm the diagnosis and prescribe antiviral medications as needed. Oselatamivir (Tamiful), Peramivir (Rapivab), and Zanamivir (Relenza) are the most popular treatment options that you may want to ask your doctor about. Is the bird flu deadly in humans? If untreated, yes. This current strain of bird flu appears to have a roughly 50% mortality rate if you don’t see a doctor.
How to Prevent Bird Flu in Chickens
Fence your chickens in to prevent random wildlife encounters. Believe it or not, bird flu is more prevalent among wild birds than farm-raised or backyard chickens. To protect your hens and roosters, fence your chickens in—even if you keep them cage-free. This will minimize the odds your birds interact with a sick animal. Secure your feed bins and water sources to ensure that sick wild animals don’t make their way into the food source.
Set up foot and hand wash stations at the edge of the chicken’s area. Clean your shoes and wash your hands thoroughly before you enter the chicken’s area and after you leave. This is the best way to prevent any avian flu cases that do develop among your flock from spreading to other people. Disposable shoe covers are also a great option if you don’t want to wash your shoes every time you need to interact with your chickens.
Can humans or pets get bird flu?
Yes, humans and pets can catch the bid flu. Luckily, there are no confirmed person-to-person infections, which means the only way to get this strain of bird flu is to come in contact with an infected bird or cow. However, if you or a pet of yours does catch the bird flu, it is extremely important that you seek help fast. This strain of bird flu is highly lethal if left untreated. Signs of bird flu in people include: Eye redness, irritation, or discharge. Mild fever (although if it exceeds 100 °F (38 °C), go the ER immediately). Cough or sore throat. Runny or stuffy nose. Body aches, headaches, and fatigue. Shortness of breath, seizures, or confused thoughts (go to the ER immediately if you have any of these symptoms). Signs of bird flu in cats or dogs include: Fever. Lethargy, including a low appetite. Red or inflamed eyes. Discharge coming from eyes and nose. Neurological issues, like tremors, seizures, blindness, or coordination.
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