Bird flu found in two more Iowa turkey flocks

By: Jared Strong - December 6, 2022 5:54 pm

More than 2 million Iowa birds have been culled since October because of the virus. (Photo by Stephen Ausmus/Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

A highly pathogenic avian influenza has infected two commercial turkey flocks in northwest Iowa with a total of 140,000 birds, according to an Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship report on Tuesday.

The affected flocks were about 100,000 turkeys in Cherokee County and about 40,000 in Sac County, IDALS said.

There have been a total of seven domestic bird flocks where the virus has been detected in Iowa since October. Previous flocks included:

— Dec. 2: 40,000 commercial turkeys in Buena Vista County
— Nov. 7: 1 million commercial egg-laying chickens in Wright County
— Nov. 7: 17 mixed backyard birds in Louisa County
— Oct. 31: 1.1 million commercial egg-laying chickens in Wright County
— Oct. 20: 48 mixed backyard birds in Dallas County

The virus is transmitted by wild, migrating birds, and the goose migration is expected to peak this month.

Infected flocks are culled to help prevent the spread of the virus, which rarely affects humans.

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Jared Strong

Senior reporter Jared Strong has written about Iowans and the important issues that affect them for more than 15 years, previously for the Carroll Times Herald and the Des Moines Register. His investigative work exposing police misconduct has notched several state and national awards. He is a longtime trustee of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, which fights for open records and open government. He is a lifelong Iowan and has lived mostly in rural western parts of the state.