Iowa has its first 2026 detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the disease was recently confirmed in a mixed species flock in Kossuth County, located in the north part of the state. The site affected includes game bird pheasants and backyard chickens. The agency says 7,000 pheasants and 120 chickens will be depopulated as a result of the detection.
State Ag Secretary Mike Naig says it’s the state’s first detection of H5N1 HPAI within domestic birds in 2026. The state’s poultry producers and backyard flock owners are urged to bolster their biosecurity practices and protocols…