Cases of bird flu are being reported across Arkansas. The virus has been detected in commercial broilers in Clay County, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Bird flu is most prevalent during the fall and spring and research from the University of Arkansas could help farmers and ranchers better protect their flocks.

Jada Thompson, associate professor of agricultural economics at the University of Arkansas, said biosecurity measures implemented after previous outbreaks should be increased when waterfowl migrate into the region.

Image

"There are periods of time where you're going to have an increased risk of disease spread related to these birds migrating. And so if we can start thinking about setting these signals up, and then you know to become hypervigilant, adding in the extra things to try to really reduce the introduction on your farm," Thompson explained.

She recommended ranchers should inspect and repair fencing and netting to make sure waterfowl cannot access the farm's perimeter and ensure food sources are also properly covered. New biosecurity measures were adopted in 2014 when it was determined bird flu was mainly spread between locations by contaminated materials, trucks and workers.

Image

Thompson added starting in 2022, infected waterfowl started surviving the virus and spreading it along the Mississippi flyway.

"They have done so much in improving their biosecurity that even as bad as it has been, it could have been worse had we not done all of these improvements. The deal is, even if I'm doing all of these and I've improved all my biosecurity, there's always going to be other things you can do. There's always one more thing you can check," Thompson emphasized.

Ranchers should look for changes in behavior such as decreased food and water consumption and sudden death. Symptoms should be reported to veterinarians or the USDA immediately.