Poultry producers on edge as avian flu sweeps through Alberta farms

Alberta poultry producers are bracing for more outbreaks of a highly transmissible and deadly variant of avian flu that has already taken a toll on flocks in the province.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1, which is spreading quickly across Canada, has been detected at 18 Alberta poultry operations since the province's first case was confirmed in Mountain View County on April 6.

Cases have been detected in two small flocks and 16 commercial flocks in Alberta, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Tuesday.

As of April 21, 12 Alberta flocks had active outbreaks, accounting for an estimated 340,000 infected birds — the most in any province.

As cases continue to multiply, bird farmers are bracing for losses and doing what they can to keep the infection out of their barns.

"It's an incredibly stressful time," said David Hyink, a poultry farmer who operates a broiler chicken operation near Lacombe, Alta., 125 kilometres south of Edmonton.

"We're being very vigilant."

Hyink inspects his four barns daily for signs of disease among his 135,000 chickens.

Most forms of avian flu are mild but the H5N1 strain can cause serious disease and death in wild and domestic birds.

The disease is not considered a significant concern for humans but infections can wipe out a flock in a matter of days.

With no treatment, an entire flock must be culled to ensure the infection is contained.

"It's a very dangerous disease for birds," said Hyink, who also serves as chair of the Alberta Chicken Producers, the organization that regulates broiler chicken production in the province. 

"Once it gets into the flock, it'll spread rapidly. It'll cause major mortality in the barns.

"In some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of birds would need to be destroyed."