The humble pigeon vs. bird flu

What can pigeons teach us about how to protect chickens from bird flu?

AuthorAuthor

Lena Beck & Modern Farmer
July 07, 2024

Hello. Lena here, staff writer at Modern Farmer.

A few months ago, we ran a story by Senior Editor Emily Baron Cadloff about bird flu spiking. Emily spoke to a chicken farmer for this story who told her about being “constantly afraid” of her flock getting infected.

If you raise poultry for a living, bird flu is terrifying.

With bird flu continuing to spread, this week we ran some follow-ups. The first one, by contributor Patrick Kuklinski, is packed with interesting ideas about how the poultry industry might adapt to avoid the threats of H5N1. (I won’t give away too much, but I will say this story had more pigeons than I was expecting.)

The other is an op-ed—also by Patrick—about how the industrial chicken industry culls infected flocks. Patrick argues that the method of doing this is inhumane, and we should not only change the process, but also restructure animal agriculture so that tens of thousands of birds aren’t getting infected at once. It’s a compelling piece, and I hope you take a look.

How much do you really need to worry about bird flu? Emily put together an explainer to help you gauge risk at the grocery store and take practical measures to protect yourself.

A person in a hazmat suit administers a vaccine to a red chicken.

Photo: Shutterstock

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In the course of our reporting, we come across great pieces of actionable advice from our community. Each week we are featuring an action, resource, or extra to help you support a more equitable and resilient food system.

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Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!

~ LB