State and federal officials have confirmed another outbreak of bird flu, this time in a commercial flock of egg-laying chickens.
According to an announcement from the Iowa Department of Agriculture, the chickens that contracted the virus are at a facility in Taylor County in southwest Iowa. Officials have provided no other information about the number of birds involved or the exact location.
The governor has signed a disaster proclamation for Taylor County, so state agencies can assist in the containment and disposal of euthanized birds, as well as track and monitor other poultry operations in Taylor County and the surrounding area.
Iowa is the country’s leading egg producer. The bird flu outbreak of 2015 led to the deaths of an estimated 33 million chickens in the state.
Early this week officials announced bird flu had been confirmed in a flock of 50,000 turkeys in Buena Vista County in northwest Iowa.