Watt Poultry Nearly 2.26 million commercial laying hens in Arizona have been lost to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that the presence of the virus was confirmed in Maricopa County on May 19. The flock included 2,258,100 hens.
Instances of HPAI infections in commercial poultry flocks have slowed down in recent weeks, with the only other instance in May being confirmed in a commercial meat turkey flock in Hutchinson County, South Dakota. The South Dakota case was confirmed on May 13 and involved 30,900 birds.