BEAVER DAM, Wis.—The poultry industry is on high alert, with local farms worrying about the avian influenza affecting their product. 

Sunnyside Hatchery in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, said they are doing everything they can to protect their poultry. 

Owner Nick Levendoski said Sunnyside Hatchery has several strategies, including fumigating rooms with incubators and cleaning vans that transport product from farm to farm.

“This [will] kill any virus or bacteria that might be airborne and we do this daily in our hatching and incubating areas,” said Levendoski.

Ever since the avian bird influenza outbreak began, Levendoski has been keeping a watchful eye on their product, because they supply multiple feed stores in the state.

“We have a number of customers that we don’t want to spread the virus from point A to point B,” said Levendoski. 

Levendoski is somewhat relieved that the outbreak has been limited to one farm in the state. 

“The flock that was affected in Wisconsin already represents a substantial amount of eggs produced in the state of Wisconsin,” said Levendoski. 

However, he also said outbreaks in other states will also affect consumers in Wisconsin, like it did with the last major outbreak in 2015. 

“What’s going through turkey flocks in Iowa and now Minnesota will probably affect the price that consumers are paying down the line for their holiday turkeys and your chicken for the grilling season,” said Levendoski. 

For now, Levendoski said the best thing to do is keep one’s poultry inside and away from migratory birds spreading the virus. He said he hopes all of this will not only help his business, but also keep the cost for consumer down as well.

Levendoski added that the virus will be a lot harder to spread when temperatures warm up, limiting its impact.