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Avian Influenza Remains A Poultry Concern

Avian influenza, which has been a concern for many poultry farmers this year, continues to spread throughout the United States.

The disease is spread through bird feces and mostly affects chickens, turkeys and other poultry birds. To date, there have been 350 reported cases in wild birds in 20 states, including New York.

“It’s been found to affect mostly poultry birds,” said Leigh Rovegno of the Audubon Community Nature Center. “Farmers have lost their entire flock in this last year. It has so far spread through wild birds of prey, but has not affected songbirds.”

The Audubon has had to take its own precautions when it comes to avian influenza.

“We’ve been OK here so far,” Rovegno said. “We have special protocols we have in place because at the moment we have two birds of prey. We remove our shoes before going into their habitats. We’ve also taken down our bird feeders because we have a pond outside our building where waterfowl sometimes come.”

As far as regular bird feeders go, Rovegno said they can be put back up if they have not been already.

“It’s OK to keep regular bird feeders up if you don’t have a pond nearby,” Rovegno said. “We’ve been telling people if you have a pond or a lot of waterfowl or poultry nearby to keep them down, but otherwise they can be put up.”

While there appears to be no end to the disease just yet, Rovegno said it is a relatively low concern for most people.

“It is still mostly a poultry concern,” Rovegno said. “Fortunately, it has not affected birds that more people tend to worry about. It’s a relatively low concern unless you are a poultry farmer.”

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