Avian flu outbreak in Sonoma, Solano, Mendocino counties worries poultry industry

A drought may be contributing to a growing number of avian flu cases in the North Bay, raising concerns among state officials, county agriculture commissioners and farmers.

Fourteen cases within area wild bird populations have been recorded in so far. The cases are concentrated in Sonoma, Solano and Mendocino counties, with no known cases in Marin and Napa counties.

When it comes to poultry, no cases of H5N1 have been detected among the North Bay’s flocks of chickens, according to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, state Food and Agriculture agency as well as county ag commissioners and farm bureaus.

Symptoms in birds include reduced food and water consumption and lethargy, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture. Though rare, avian influenza may affect humans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that as a general precaution, whenever possible, people should avoid contact with wild birds and observe them only from a distance.

Besides chickens, the virus may afflict turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl. It’s carried by free-flying waterfowl.

But the idea that the flu is present in some places is raising alarm bells for agriculture leaders and veterinarians, fearing the migratory season may increase the chances of a spread from wild birds to domesticated flocks. There’s no cure or treatment. That worry increases because of the severe drought along birds’ migratory routes.

“Yes, drought has definitely had an impact. When you have migratory birds in the Pacific byway looking for sources of water, few and far between, they’re going to land in the same ponds,” Sonoma County Agriculture Commissioner Andrew Smith told the Business Journal.

Smith’s office sent a letter to local egg producers a few weeks ago warning them of the county’s 11 recorded cases from July 21 to Aug. 9. The virus was found in Canada geese, white pelican, wood duck and turkey vulture populations. The last outbreak of avian flu under a different variant in Sonoma County was reported in 2014 and 2015.

In Solano County, Agriculture Commissioner Ed King said: “It’s been found in multiple states and now California. We expected it. The whole county should be on alert.”

King, while following guidance from the state, has advised his county’s poultry farmers to limit the number of people who have contact with the chickens and for handlers to wear protective gear. The deadly bird disease was found in a swan and two white pelicans in this county.

“This way they don’t pick something up inadvertently and give it to the birds,” King said, also suggesting the farmers try to keep the birds indoors where they have access to their own water source.

In Petaluma, Tara Firma Farms’ logistics manager, Brandon Connaughton, noted his farm is already ahead of the game on that matter. The flock of about 500 chickens at the Sonoma County facility has water dispensaries to drink out of instead of sharing a water source with other birds. The public is not allowed access.

“We don’t have that many people tend to them (either),” he said. “They’re outside, but that’s their lifestyle.”

On Aug. 17 Solano County Farm Bureau Manager Lisa Shipley put out a bulletin to warn her organization’s farming members. Shipley has already brought her backyard chickens inside the coops.

“Commercial operations are cognizant on biosecurity, but even people who have backyard coops should care,” she said. “Once it gets into a poultry farms, it’s hard to control because it spreads too fast.”

Once evidence of infection is found, all birds in the group must be destroyed.

“If one is detected, they have to euthanize the entire barn,” said Maurice Pitesky, a UC Davis Cooperative Extension associate professor in the Poultry Health and Food Safety Epidemiology department in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Oddly, vaccination can allow the virus to spread as the vaccinated birds can become asymptomatic carriers.

“So, there’s an economic incentive not to,” he said of vaccinations.

Also, the United States could see souring trade relations, if it’s exporting infected birds, allowing the virus to spread. Our nation represents one in three of the largest poultry providers in the world, along with China and Brazil.

Pitesky said it’s the first time this type of variant has shown up in wild birds in the North Bay.

“I’ve never seen it as ubiquitous like this before,” Pitesky said.

Susan Wood covers law, cannabis, production, tech, energy, transportation, agriculture as well as banking and finance. For 27 years, Susan has worked for a variety of publications including the North County Times, Tahoe Daily Tribune and Lake Tahoe News. Reach her at 530-545-8662 or susan.wood@busjrnl.com.

Show Comment