(The Center Square) – There is another bird flu outbreak in Wisconsin after the state’s Department of Agriculture confirmed a case in Dane County.
“The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has identified a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard poultry flock in Dane County,” the department said in an announcement.
DATCP said there were 55 birds in the backyard flock. All of them will have to be put down.
The Dane County case is the second in a week. And it is much smaller than the last.
The state said Friday that more than a million chickens had to be put down after a positive bird flu test at a farm in Jefferson County.
“DATCP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture animal health officials are working together in a joint incident response. The affected premises has been quarantined to restrict movement of poultry and poultry products. Birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system,” the department said Friday.
The agriculture department said the bird flu has been a problem in Wisconsin and across the country for the past few years.
“The H5N1 HPAI virus has continued to circulate in both wild and domestic birds in North America since December 2021,” DATCP added.
Last year there were also bird flu outbreaks at poultry farms in Jefferson County. Those cases led to the culling of more than 3 million birds. In 2024, Wisconsin’s Department of Ag reported four bird flu cases. Those forced the culling of over 54,000 birds.
