GAINESVILLE, Ga. — It’s a new year, but the poultry industry is still dealing with the same issue: bird flu. Less than two weeks into the new year, and multiple new cases of bird flu have been reported around the country.
Over the weekend, the Delaware Department of Agriculture announced preliminary testing in Kent County found a possible positive case of bird flu in a commercial broiler flock.
The affected premises have been quarantined, and the birds on the farm are being depopulated to prevent the spread of disease. This is the first commercial case in Delaware during the 2025-26 waterfowl migratory season, the DDA said in a statement.
The last time Delaware had a confirmed commercial case of bird flu was on Jan. 28, 2025, also in Kent County and a broiler flock.
On Jan. 2, multiple states had confirmed cases, including North Carolina, California, and Kansas. In Butte County, Calif., more than 30,000 upland gamebirds were affected at a commercial operation where the birds were being raised for release, according to USDA data.
This is the first commercial case of bird flu in California since late October 2025. The last time Butte County had a confirmed case was in early January 2025, just one day short of a year ago.
In Kansas, two commercial operations raising upland gamebirds to be released were also hit by the virus. One operation was in Nemaha County, where more than 4,000 birds were affected, and the second operation was in Anderson County, where more than 15,000 birds were affected, according to USDA data.
In Sampson, N.C., 10,000 birds were affected by the virus at a commercial turkey meat operation. This is the first time Sampson County has had a confirmed case of the virus since late January 2025.
No less than a week after the Jan. 2 detection, North Carolina had another confirmed case of bird flu on Jan. 7. Also in Sampson County, more than 20,000 birds were affected at a commercial turkey breeder operation, USDA reported.
“I encourage our commercial and backyard flock owners to continue to follow strict biosecurity measures and if your flock is experiencing a sudden higher-than-normal mortality rate, report it right away to your local veterinarian,” Dr. Mike Martin, North Carolina state veterinarian, said in a release.
So far this year, Kansas has been hit the worst by the virus. In addition to the Jan. 2 confirmations, Kansas had another confirmed case of bird flu on Jan. 6 in Pottawatomie County.
Instead of upland gamebirds, a commercial table egg pullet facility was impacted, and more than 300,000 birds were affected, according to USDA data. This is the first detection in Pottawatomie County since December 2023, and the largest number of birds infected. In 2023, only 30 birds were affected.
Bird flu in 2026 is already running rampant, but 2025 couldn’t end without one more big detection. On the last day of 2025, Butler County, Neb., had a confirmed case of HPAI at commercial table egg layer operation, where more than 140,000 birds were affected, USDA reported.
Not only did this confirmation happen on the last day of the year, but it was also the first and only confirmed case in Nebraska in a commercial flock in 2025. All other confirmations were in backyard flocks with less than 100 birds affected.
“While these cases are not unexpected and coincides with the ongoing wild bird migration and what we are seeing in other states, it does serve as an important reminder for Nebraska poultry producers to stay vigilant in protecting their flocks,” Dr. Roger Dudley, Nebraska state veterinarian, said in a release. “Producers should know and monitor for HPAI symptoms and follow strict biosecurity practices, which can significantly reduce the risk of the disease affecting their flocks.”
With this many detections so early in the year, it looks like the poultry industry will have to be extra vigilant to prevent major loss.
On Jan. 12, APHIS reported that for the previous 30 days there have been 16 commercial flocks and 49 backyard flocks affected by HPAI. Commercial flocks include 4 in Kansas and 2 in North Carolina. These combined national confirmations totaled 1.21 million affected birds.
For more information on bird flu, visit APHIS at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza.
