MONTAGUE — The threat of avian influenza has led agricultural fairs to cancel poultry exhibitions this year and caused local chicken producers to take precautions to ensure the health of their flocks.
Bird flu can infect humans, but this is a rare occurrence. However, the disease can cause mass illness and death amongst domesticated birds.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of the disease in wild birds in multiple states in 2022, in addition to confirming its presence in domesticated birds in 38 states this year. This includes Massachusetts as well as Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.
The only known case in domestic birds this year in Massachusetts was on March 29 in Berkshire County.
According to a Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources official, because the disease is being spread by wild, migrating birds, the main focus for controlling it is to prevent its spread to domesticated birds, and owners should take necessary steps to prevent their flocks having contact with wild birds or exposure to their feathers or droppings. The official said that this is particularly true for exposure to waterbirds, raptors, and scavengers.
“If one bird tests positive, the whole flock has to be eliminated,” said Pinnie Sears, who owns FireFly Silkies with her wife, Billye Davis, in Montague.
Sears and Davis have a flock of egg-laying hens in addition to raising Silkie chickens as show birds, and they have been taking strong measures to ensure that their animals are safe.
“We’re pretty much locked down,” said Sears. “We can’t take that chance.”
Davis said that from March to June, none of their birds went outside. Since then, the laying flock has been let out but the Silkies weren’t allowed onto grass.
“It’s been really hard,” said Davis, who noted that grass and fresh air make better birds.
On Thursday, some of the Silkies were let outside onto grass under supervision.
Another precaution that the couple has used to safeguard their hundreds of birds is to spray their feet with an antiviral solution before entering coops, although they’ve since stopped doing so.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources banned poultry shows and similar events earlier this year. And while the ban expired on July 1, the agency is still cautioning against such exhibitions.
“All the fairs, as far as I know, have canceled any kind of poultry competition or shows in their fairs this year,” said Glenn Jameson, the poultry superintendent at the Cummington Fair.
The Cummington Fair is not having bird shows this year.
Jameson owns Sky Meadows in Chester, where he raises birds both for show and for eggs.
He said that because of the threat of avian influenza, he has limited the amount of time he lets his birds outside, and he keeps an eye on them when he does.
However, Jameson said that he hasn’t seen wild birds dying, a sign of the disease, or heard of outbreaks locally.
Sears is the poultry superintendent for the Franklin County Fair, which will also not be holding an poultry exhibitions — at least not of the normal kind.
Instead, people will be able to show any object that’s chicken-themed at what Sears described as a “chicken tchotchke fair.”
“It’s just going to be for laughs,” Sears said.
She also said that this will be the first year the fair has had to cancel poultry exhibitions because of a chicken disease.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.