Poultry and egg farmers around the country are on edge because of a highly transmissible strain of avian influenza. The disease is spread through bird droppings, usually from migrating waterfowl like geese. The virus is unlikely to be harmful to humans, but it can quickly devastate chicken flocks.
If a farmer detects the virus in their flock, they have to kill off all their birds to prevent further spread. Christina Hudson Kohler is a fourth generation egg farmer. Her operation in Onondaga County always has biosecurity measures in place, but she says there’s only so much they can do.
"You never know who it will be tomorrow. Like you can have every safety precaution in place, but the wind is blowing and birds are flying overhead."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture compensates farmers if their flocks become infected and have to be killed off. But, Hudson Kohler says it would temporarily affect their ability to deliver to customers. She says workers at her farm wear protective clothing and clean their boots before going into or out of barns. They also aren’t transporting chickens right now. The virus has been detected in over a dozen wild geese in New York to date.