SUMMERVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Avian influenza has been confirmed in a flock of chickens at a commercial farm in northwest Georgia.
Julie McPeak, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, said Monday it's the first time bird flu has ever been found in commercial flocks in Georgia. She said routine screening detected the infected chickens at a poultry breeder in Chattooga County and all 18,000 chickens in the flock were euthanized.
McPeake said none of the birds showed symptoms, leading agriculture officials to suspect they were infected with low-pathogenic bird flu. None of the infected chickens entered the food supply.
Chattooga County is located on the Georgia-Alabama state line, two counties away from Tennessee. Both neighboring states, as well as Kentucky, have also detected bird flu in poultry flocks in recent weeks.
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