Bird flu is surging across North America as migratory birds return. Wisconsin’s Daybreak Foods has lost over 3.5 million hens across two Jefferson County facilities, while Minnesota’s turkey sector is reeling from four outbreaks in just two days, totaling 180,000 birds. New detections in Northern Ireland, Denmark, and the Netherlands mark Europe’s first poultry cases since spring, and British Columbia has ordered all flocks indoors as a precaution. The virus is also spilling beyond farms — Los Angeles confirmed H5N1 in pet cats linked to raw food, and an endangered whooping crane in Wisconsin has died from infection. Together, the cases suggest a rapid re-intensification of H5N1 activity across both livestock and wildlife as fall migration accelerates.
Bird Flu Surges Again as Fall Migrations Begin
Bird flu is surging rapidly across the United States. Over the past 30 days, H5N1 has been detected in 43 flocks — 27 commercial and 16 backyard — affecting more than 6.4 million birds nationwide (USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 2024). New infections have emerged in multiple Midwestern states, with large turkey farms and Daybreak Foods (the nation’s third-largest egg producer) among the hardest hit. Officials say the virus’ return has come earlier than expected this year, coinciding with the southward migration of wild waterfowl that can carry and spread the virus (Bush, 2025). After several months of calm, the renewed uptick foreshadows another challenging fall for poultry producers and state animal-health teams — particularly in Midwestern poultry hubs (Soucheray, 2025).
Daybreak Foods Adds 500,000 More to 3 Million-Bird Loss in Wisconsin Outbreak
Just one week after culling 3 million infected hens, Daybreak Foods — the nation’s third-largest egg producer — has confirmed another H5N1 outbreak at a separate Jefferson County facility. The new case will force the culling of over half a million birds, bringing total losses for the company to more than 3.5 million. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirmed the infection on October 2 and has quarantined the facility, restricting poultry movement within a 10-kilometer radius. Public health officials continue to monitor farm workers, though the risk to the public remains low. Daybreak, which operates across the Midwest with 17 million hens, has now suffered two major outbreaks in Palmyra in just two weeks (Kaeding, 2025).
Turkey Outbreaks Across Minnesota: More Than 180,000 Birds Affected
Minnesota continues to see rapid escalation in turkey farm infections, with four new H5N1 outbreaks confirmed across Becker and Kandiyohi Counties between October 8 and 9, according to the USDA outbreak tracker. The affected farms include two sites in Becker County housing 30,800 and 72,500 birds, and two in Kandiyohi County with 40,200 and 37,600 birds — a combined loss of 181,100 turkeys in just two days. The new detections are concentrated in west-central Minnesota, a region now seeing some of the fastest spread of H5N1 activity nationwide as the fall migration season intensifies (USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 2024).
Northern Ireland to Cull 20,000 Chickens After Suspected H5N1 Outbreak
Roughly 20,000 chickens will be culled following a suspected H5N1 outbreak at a farm near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland’s first suspected commercial case since February. Officials said rising mortality among 7,000 birds in one of three houses led to testing, with results pending from the National Reference Laboratory. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has imposed control measures around the site (Cullen, 2025).
British Columbia Moves All Commercial Poultry Indoors as Migration Season Begins
All commercial poultry in British Columbia is now being housed indoors as a precaution against H5N1 as the fall migration season begins. The order from the province’s Chief Veterinary Officer follows recent outbreaks in neighboring Alberta and is part of a broader effort to prevent virus spread from wild migratory birds. Poultry producers have activated Red Biosecurity Protocols, which include mandatory indoor housing, disinfection of equipment and vehicles, use of protective gear, and restricted farm access. Industry officials said farmers have invested heavily in upgraded ventilation systems and filters to prevent viral entry. Last year, 81 commercial farms in B.C. were infected with avian influenza between October and January, prompting the province to maintain heightened seasonal precautions (Gelineau, 2025).
Denmark and Netherlands Report First H5N1 Outbreaks Since Spring
Denmark and the Netherlands have each reported new H5N1 outbreaks in commercial poultry, marking their first detections since early 2025. Denmark’s Veterinary and Food Administration confirmed the virus at a farm in southeastern Jutland, leading to the culling of 150,000 chickens (Reuters, 2025b). In the Netherlands, authorities reported an outbreak at a northern poultry farm where 71,000 chickens were culled (Reuters, 2025). Both countries had been free of detections since the spring, when earlier restrictions were lifted.
Bird Flu Confirmed in Los Angeles Cats: Cases Linked to Pet Food
Los Angeles County officials have confirmed H5N1 in a domestic cat, the first such case since a cluster of infections tied to raw animal products in late 2024 and early 2025. Two indoor-only cats from the same household died after eating commercially sold raw pet food. One tested positive for H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype B3.13 — the strain circulating in U.S. dairy cattle and poultry — and the second cat was not available for testing (Schnirring, 2025). County and federal officials are investigating the raw pet food product involved. The Los Angeles Department of Public Health urged veterinarians to advise against feeding pets raw dairy, meat, or uncooked pet food, citing growing evidence that contaminated raw products can transmit H5N1. No human illnesses have been linked to this case, and the risk to people remains low (County of Los Angeles Public Health, n.d.).
Endangered Whooping Crane Dies of H5N1 at Wisconsin Wildlife Refuge
An endangered female whooping crane at Wisconsin’s Horicon National Wildlife Refuge has died from H5N1, marking the first known death of a whooping crane from the virus, according to the International Crane Foundation. The chick, named Ducky, was part of a reintroduction group being prepared for release into the wild this fall. Only about 700 whooping cranes remain in North America, with fewer than 70 in the eastern migratory population. Foundation veterinarians said the crane likely contracted the virus from environmental exposure or contact with infected wild waterfowl. Staff have implemented protective measures and report no additional illnesses among the remaining cranes (CBS News, 2025).
References
Bush, E. (2025, October 9). Bird flu cases are spiking again after a summer respite. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/bird-flu-cases-spiking-rcna235519
CBS News. (2025, September 30). Endangered whooping crane dies of bird flu at Wisconsin wildlife refuge. Cbsnews.com. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/whooping-crane-dies-avian-flu-wisconsin-wildlife-refuge/
County of Los Angeles Public Health. (n.d.). Animal Health Alert: H5 Bird Flu confirmed in Los Angeles County in another domestic cat that consumed commercially available raw pet food Key Points. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/docs/AHAN/AHAN_H5BirdFluConfirmedDomesticCat_LAC_09252025.pdf
Cullen, L. (2025, October 5). Bird flu: Chicken cull after suspected outbreak in County Tyrone. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75qg92z1wyo
Gelineau, J. (2025). Commercial poultry moved indoors in B.C. as migratory season starts. Www.cbc.ca. https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.7645439?feature=random
Kaeding, D. (2025, October 2). Bird flu detected at another Jefferson County poultry facility. WPR. https://www.wpr.org/news/bird-flu-detected-jefferson-county-poultry-facility-daybreak-foods
Reuters. (2025a, October 8). 71,000 chickens to be culled following outbreak of bird flu. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bird-flu-outbreak-netherlands-cull-b2840706.html
Reuters. (2025b, October 8). Denmark to cull 150,000 chickens after bird flu outbreak. Reuters via Yahoo News; Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/denmark-cull-150-000-chickens-073758559.html
Schnirring, L. (2025, September 26). Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. CIDRAP. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/los-angeles-cat-h5n1-deaths-prompt-new-warning-about-raw-pet-food
Soucheray, S. (2025, October 9). Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. CIDRAP. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/flurry-h5n1-activity-noted-commercial-poultry-wild-birds
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. (2024, June 20). HPAI Confirmations in Commercial and Backyard Flocks. Www.aphis.usda.gov. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks