Avian Influenza Keeps Poultry Home From Country Fairs

By Larissa Lytwyn 

While fairgoers will have plenty of opportunities to coo at rabbits, giggle at nursing piglets, and generally enjoy the various agrarian delights of Connecticut’s country fairs this year, something will be missing: birds.

Last March, the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the outbreak of low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) at Kofkoff Egg Farms in Lebanon, Conn., leading to a mandate released by the state Department of Agriculture prohibiting poultry exhibits from fairs across the Northeast.

“The reason even healthy-looking birds can’t be shown together is that if one is a carrier, the risk spreads to all the rest,” explained John Mead, superintendent of poultry at the Bridgewater Fair, recently commemorating its 51st year. “It’s a shame, really,” he said. “The kids look forward to it.”

For years, poultry exhibits have been an important component at each of Connecticut’s approximately 50 fairs, particularly for 4-H projects organized across the region. This year, according to Fairfield County’s official 4-H website, there will be several activities organized in lieu of the traditional exhibits. Participants can engage in poster contests, poultry educational displays, poultry quiz bowls, home art projects, and other endeavors. Contenders are encouraged to prepare by scouring the pages of books including Standards of Perfection, released by the American Poultry Association, and Storey’s Guide to Raising Poultry: Breeds, Care, Health, by Leonard S. Mercia and Michael J. Darre.

In the Netherlands, the pathogenic form of the disease wiped out more than one million birds during the first two weeks of March. Virtually all of Kofkoff Farms’ 4.7 million laying hens were quarantined since the outbreak was first suspected in early March, weeks before the tests were even confirmed.

In the aftermath of the outbreak, the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, recently released a comprehensive fact sheet describing the symptoms and treatment of avian influenza. While domestic waterfowl tend to be more resistant to the disease, wild ducks, geese, gulls, and other species are apt to be carriers. They can then affect domestic fowl.

Signs of avian influenza in chickens and other birds are extremely variable. Decreased food consumption and drops in egg production are among some of the earliest and most predictable signs of disease. Other symptoms include coughing, ruffled feathers, swollen heads, nervous signs like depression, and diarrhea. In some cases, however, birds may die rapidly without clinical signs of the disease.

Vaccines are not cross protective for the 15 virus subtypes that can infect poultry. Since there is no way to predict which type will infect a flock, vaccines are generally not practical to prevent infections.

While most strains of avian influenza do not affect humans, a unique 1997 case in Hong Kong struck both birds and humans, resulting in the death of six people. The World Health Organization continues to monitor human influenza viruses in cases all over the world. No avian viruses have been found infecting humans since 1997.

Anyone suspecting that their flock may be affected, should contact a veterinarian immediately. For more information, contact the state Department of Agriculture at 860-713-2500 or visit www.state.ct.us/doag/.