Keeping birds inside not essential; feeding them inside is

Keeping all poultry indoors during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak may be advisable, but it might not be completely necessary.What is necessary, is to make sure poultry flocks are fed indoors, advised Dr. Carol Cardona, Pomeroy chair in avian health for the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Cardona offered her opinions on the matter during the webinar, “Surviving Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza,” on June 21. The webinar was part of the Balchem Real Science Lecture Series.

As HPAI is frequently spread by wild birds, keeping those birds separated from poultry flocks is truly important. In several European and Asian countries, during HPAI outbreaks, orders to keep poultry inside have been made. And while that hasn’t occurred in the United States, Dr. Rosemary Sifford, the chief veterinary officer of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in January 2022 advised that poultry producers restrict their birds’ outdoor access.