DETROIT LAKES — The Avian flu has impacted the local economy, but in some cases, unnecessarily.
Becker Pet and Garden owner Scott Sonstegard said, when social media grabbed hold of an article that stated songbirds should not gather at bird feeders, due to the avian flu, his customers grew leery.
“There was some concern,” Sonstegard said. “I saw a drop in bird seed and (bird) feeder sales because many of my customers didn’t know what to do.”
Luckily for Sonstegard, and those who enjoy watching birds feast on seed and suet, there is no indication the current strain of avian flu impacts songbirds.
Erik Hildebrand, Department of Natural Resources wildlife health program supervisor, said that nationwide research indicates songbirds are not impacted by the current bird flu strain. In fact, he is more concerned about food left over from the winter harming song birds, as it may develop mold or salmonella.
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“Birds can contract that and die,” he said. “Any old birdseed left from the winter, discard it in the trash.”
So why does the bird flu not hurt songbirds, but can take down raptors or waterfowl? It all depends on the flu’s variant, Hildebrand explained, noting it has been around for many years and has developed 144 known strains.
“This strain, this spring, we are seeing more raptor and water fowl dying from it,” he said. “That is nationwide, not just Minnesota. There is no indication the Passerine, or song bird family class, is impacted.”
The Centers for Disease Control website on the H5N1 bird flu , in regards to wild birds, stated 762 birds were detected with the virus in 33 states and 149 counties, as of press time (Monday, April 25, 2022).
In Minnesota, the bird flu has been documented in wild birds in the counties of: Houston (Great Horned Owl on April 15), Anoka (two Mallards April 5 and two more on April 14), Hennepin (a Mallard on April 5 and Canadian goose on April 14), and Kandiyohi (a Great Horned Owl on March 31).
Hildebrand explained the wild bird transmission is spread through feces. As waterfowl migrate, nest and breed in the spring, the virus shows up. In Minnesota, the bird flu appeared in wild birds in late March and early April, just as waterfowl arrived.
If a wild bird is found ill or deceased, Hildebrand said people are not to handle the bird. Instead, report it to the local DNR office (651-296-6157).
Hildebrand went on to say, when five or more birds are found dead in a localized area and in a short amount of time, a health event is assumed to be taking place. Those carcasses are collected by wildlife agencies and submitted to a lab in Wisconsin, where an equivalent to a human autopsy is performed.
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Domestic birds see heavy cost of bird flu
On the domestic side of the bird flu story, there have been 235 confirmed flocks in the U.S. as of Monday, April 25. According to the Centers for Disease Control website . Of those, 150 are commercial and the remainder are backyard flocks. A total of 31.66 million birds have been infected.
In Minnesota, as of April 25, the CDC reported, there have been 54 commercial flocks, four backyard flocks, and a total of 2.7 million birds affected in this outbreak.
The first case in the U.S.was reported on Feb. 8 in Dubois County in Indiana.
The strain arrived in Minnesota on March 26 in Meeker County, affecting two operations — one backyard and one commercial — and requiring 263,000 birds to be destroyed.
Before March concluded, the bird flu impacted domestic farms in the Minnesota counties of Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Morrison and Stearns.
By April, several outbreaks happened again in the same counties, and it also migrated to the counties of Becker, Otter Tail, Dodge, Le Sauer, Big Stone, Waseca, Renville, Swift, Benton, Yellow Medicine, and Blue Earth.
One facility in Becker County reported an outbreak on April 4 in which 45,000 birds were impacted.
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Otter Tail County had three reports, all from commercial breeders, impacting a total of 95,800 birds. (The first report was on April 8, with 30,000 birds impacted. The second report was made April 13, with 36,000 birds were infected, and the third was on April 19, with 29,800 birds detected with the flu.)
The CDC calls for poultry that have the virus or come into contact with the virus to be destroyed “at the discretion of the cooperating state agency and APHIS (the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) and in accordance with the initial state response and containment plan.”
Disposal methods include incineration, burial, composting or rendering. However, biosecurity procedures must be implemented for all personnel and vehicular movement into and out of the area.
Hildebrand said the CDC has stated that the risk for people is low of contracting a bird virus from eating a bird that has bird flu.
“That is not zero,” he said, noting it is important for those consuming birds to make sure the meat or product is cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees or more. “That is the magic number.”
