The Threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a viral disease that causes severe systemic illness and rapid mortality in poultry. The H5N1 and H5N8 subtypes circulating globally have caused devastating outbreaks in commercial poultry, wild birds, and mammals. For broiler growers, an HPAI outbreak is catastrophic — entire flocks are depopulated, farms are quarantined for months, and the financial impact of lost income, cleanup, and restocking can take years to recover from.
The 2022–2025 global HPAI outbreak has been the largest in history, affecting over 100 million birds in the United States alone and causing billions of dollars in economic losses. The virus has become endemic in wild bird populations, meaning it is present year-round rather than only during migration seasons. This permanent presence requires permanent vigilance from every commercial grower.
How HPAI Spreads
Wild waterfowl — ducks, geese, and swans — are the primary reservoir for avian influenza viruses. These birds can carry and shed the virus without showing signs of illness. The virus is shed in their feces, saliva, and respiratory secretions, contaminating water, feed, and surfaces. It survives in organic material such as manure and litter for weeks, in cold water for months at low temperatures, on hard non-porous surfaces for days, and on clothing and footwear for hours to days depending on conditions.
Transmission to broiler houses occurs through direct contact between domestic poultry and wild birds, contaminated equipment or vehicles moving between farms, people carrying virus on boots, clothing, or hands, airborne dust or droplets from nearby infected premises, and contaminated feed, water, or bedding materials.
Enhanced Biosecurity Protocols
During high-risk periods, standard biosecurity protocols must be enhanced. Entry protocols should include shower-in/shower-out facilities on larger farms or at minimum a Danish entry system with full clothing change for each house. All vehicles entering the farm should be cleaned and disinfected. Feed delivery vehicles should use farm roads that do not pass near wild waterfowl habitats. Loading crews should use farm-specific footwear and coveralls. Dead birds should be disposed of in closed containers or composting systems that wild birds and scavengers cannot access. Farm-specific equipment should not be shared between farms. Shared equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between uses.
Early Detection and Reporting
Early detection is critical for controlling HPAI. A sudden increase in mortality — 2 to 3 times normal — is the most common first sign. Birds may show respiratory distress, cyanosis (blue discoloration of combs, wattles, and legs), swelling of the head, face, and wattles, diarrhea, and decreased feed and water consumption. If any of these signs appear, growers should contact their integrator and veterinarian immediately and not move birds, equipment, or people on or off the farm until the situation is assessed.
Documenting Preparedness
Regulatory authorities and integrators require documented HPAI preparedness. Records should include biosecurity protocols and training records for all workers, visitor and vehicle logs with dates and signatures, cleaning and disinfection records for houses and equipment, wild bird and rodent control monitoring logs, and mortality, feed, and water consumption records. During an HPAI outbreak in your region, enhanced surveillance reporting may be required by state or federal authorities. Well-maintained records demonstrate due diligence and can be critical in an epidemiological investigation.
Biosecurity is an investment that pays for itself by preventing the catastrophic losses of a disease outbreak. Growers who view biosecurity as a cost to be minimized rather than an investment in protection take risks that can destroy their operation. The growers who maintain the highest biosecurity standards, even during periods when there is no active outbreak, are the ones whose operations survive and thrive through the inevitable disease challenges that arise in poultry production.