Another new case of bird flu has popped up in northern Washington state. This one is a hobby and 4-H program flock in Oroville, Washington, not far from the Canadian border.
It’s mostly chickens and waterfowl. Another, larger flock 40 miles south in Riverside, Washington, is on the chopping block as early as Tuesday.
USDA and Washington state vets and technicians will be euthanizing the 5,000-bird flock in Riverside over a couple of days. The owners will get compensated somewhat by a USDA program for the government-killed birds.
After the officials deal with this large flock they will likely move on to the smaller Oroville flock.
The state is setting a quarantine around both infected farms. Government officials have visited about 200 neighbors in Riverside. They’ve sampled 21 flocks there to find out if the virus has spread. Those lab results are due back in a few days.
