Loren Brey, a poultry grower in Minnesota, walked onto the farm where his egg-laying turkeys nest in November to discover a handful of hens, dead from the highly pathogenic avian flu.
Within a week, he lost nearly half of his entire flock.
So when Mr. Brey’s turkeys began producing eggs again in the spring, he gave a seemingly unconventional prevention method a go: lasers installed atop his barns, firing beams of green light to fend off wild ducks, owls and other possible carriers of the deadly virus.
As migratory birds fly north for the spring, poultry farmers and backyard keepers across the country are bracing for yet another outbreak of avian flu.
The most affected appear to be large-scale industrial farms and those raising egg-producing chickens: two-thirds of the depopulated birds belong to just 30 farms with one million or more egg-laying hens.
Turkey operations, like Mr. Brey’s, have also been hit hard, representing 350 of the 481 commercial farms with detected cases.
Under federal policy, one infected bird can necessitate the culling or elimination of an entire flock, and then disposing of the carcasses through composting, burial, incineration or rendering.
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In November, Minnesota poultry farmer Loren Brey discovered a small number of dead hens from the highly contagious avian flu when he went onto the farm where his egg-laying turkeys nest.
He lost almost half of his flock in less than a week.
Mr. Dot Brey decided to try an unusual preventive measure when his turkeys started laying eggs again in the spring. He had lasers placed atop his barns, shooting green light beams to scare away owls, wild ducks, and other potential virus carriers.
Poultry producers and backyard avian keepers nationwide are ready for another avian flu outbreak as migratory birds head north for the spring. A small percentage of the approximately 10 billion chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other birds sold nationwide each year have been killed by the most recent strain, but some poultry growers, like Mr. Brey, are using creative methods to safeguard their flocks by using decoy predators, drones, air horns, balloons, and other deterrents.
These practices highlight the feverish attempts of smaller farms and even some larger operations to fend off the virus, coupled with their weariness and grudging acceptance of the disease following years of lockdowns, hygienic measures, and vaccination discussions.
The farms that raise chickens for eggs and those that operate on large scales seem to be the most affected: only 30 farms with one million or more egg-laying hens account for two thirds of the depopulated birds. Mr. Brey’s and other Turkey operations have also been severely impacted; these 350 farms out of 481 commercial farms with cases detected are Turkey operations. According to Dr. Carol Cardona, an expert in avian health at the University of Minnesota, the birds are especially prone to infection and are more exposed to the virus because many turkey farms are located along the migratory path for many wild waterfowl.
Huge repercussions follow an infection.
According to federal policy, culling or eliminating a flock due to a single infected bird may be necessary, with the carcasses being disposed of by composting, burial, incineration, or rendering. Since the most lethal strain of birds to be detected in the United States in February 2022, the regulation has caused over 1,100 flocks across the nation to be affected, resulting in 90 million dead birds.
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