50K chickens being put to death because of bird flu in Lehigh County – 69News WFMZ-TV
Mostly cloudy skies and seasonable. Still breezy. A rain or snow shower possible, again mainly north..
Partly cloudy, cold, and brisk. Updated: January 29, 2025 @ 10:19 pmAnchor / ReporterThe PA Department of Agriculture and men in disposable Tyvek suits were seen at an egg laying poultry farm along Bausch Road in Lynn Township, Lehigh County.This after the department announced Monday, the state’s first case of bird flu found in a commercial flock, was discovered a Lynn Township facility. Neighbors say activity could be seen on Monday too.The department says all 50,000 birds are being humanely euthanized.”I’ve been worried about it, now that it’s right down the street that is more worrisome,” said neighbor Sandy Kantor.Kantor said the owners built the two big chicken barns five years ago.”Makes me very nervous because I have horses here, I board horses, I have pets, cats and dogs, I have a small flock of chickens,” she said.The agriculture department quarantined the affected farm, nearby poultry farms and restricted movement of chickens and poultry products within a 6.2-mile radius to help prevent the virus from spreading.”A huge concern. I think we’re on high alert,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, while at the farm show.This as he was addressing the growing bird flu concern, as thousands of snow geese were recently found dead of the bird flu in the Lehigh Valley.Redding stressed the importance of protecting commercial flocks through bio-security.”It’s a personal protective equipment. It’s making sure you wear a different pair of shoes in the poultry house than you do to get back into your car and go home. There’s a wall of separation between dirty and clean,” Redding added.David Jaindl of Jaindl Farms says despite being out of the 6-mile quarantine zone, protection measures have increased, and says they are no longer having personnel meetings at the farm, where someone could import the virus.State officials say bird flu is a very painful death, which is why they euthanize all that come in contact with the virus. The Lynn Township facility will be disinfected and after a period of time birds will be allowed back in.Anchor / Reporter
Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
