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Farmers Must Kill 4.2 Million Chickens After Bird Flu Hits Iowa Egg Farm

More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced Tuesday.

Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in a yearslong outbreak that now is affecting dairy cattle as well. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, leading to the slaughter of nearly 1.4 million chickens.

Overall, 92.34 million birds have been killed since the outbreak began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Although bird flu has become somewhat common among poultry, its spread to cattle has added to worries about the disease. In May, a second dairy farmworker was diagnosed with bird flu, and the virus was detected in both beef and milk. It has been confirmed on dairy cattle farms in nine states.

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360° at the poultry farm: Free-range, free-range and enriched colony housing hens

Video: 360° at the poultry farm: Free-range, free-range and enriched colony housing hens

Have you ever wondered how Canadian eggs get from the farm to your table? Join us on an exclusive tour of Andrew’s poultry farm in southwestern Ontario, where you’ll discover three types of housing systems for hens: free-range, free-range, and enriched colony. Learn how the hens are cared for, how the eggs are collected, and why biosecurity is so important. See how the hens spend their days eating, roosting, laying eggs… and much more! Enjoy!