570,000 chickens in Nebraska are set to be ‘depopulated’ or destroyed in an effort to fight a bird flu outbreak.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the USDA announced Tuesday that a flock of chickens was affected by a “highly pathogenic avian influenza.”
It described HPAI as a “highly contagious virus” that spreads among birds through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure.
The virus was discovered in early March in a wild goose, then was later discovered in a flock of chickens and more wild geese.
The birds are currently under quarantine, but they will soon be “humanely depopulated and disposed of in an approved manner”, according to the NDA.
Other states have also dealt with bird flu outbreaks this year, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Virginia and Maryland.