If you know any chickens in Nebraska right now, it might be a good time to call them up and ask if they want to come stay with you for a few weeks (but maybe don't so we don't have a new plague):

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) announced on Tuesday that it has confirmed a case of the highly contagious bird flu in a commercial flock of 570,000 broiler chickens and that the birds will be "humanely depopulated and disposed of."

NDA, in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in a press release the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a chicken flock in Butler County, Neb.

"HPAI is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily among birds through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure," NDA said. "The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers."

Five hundred thousand chickens is... a lot of chickens. Admittedly it's about standard for the industrial poultry industry, which tends to deal in lots of that size.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, really, really takes this stuff seriously:

The farm is under NDA quarantine and the birds will be humanely depopulated and disposed of in an approved manner. Additionally, NDA will be establishing a 6.2-mile control zone around the infected premises. Premises with poultry that fall within that control zone will not be allowed to move birds or poultry products on or off their premises without permission from NDA.

COVID lockdowns are just ending and these poor birds are under quarantine again. There's no justice for chickens in this world!

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