DOOR COUNTY, Wis. — Some chicken farmers in Wisconsin are being cautious with their flocks after a bird in Washington County tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, the first case since May.

What You Need To Know

  • Char and Dan Fatke run Mighty Wind Farms in Sister Bay

  • They do what they can to keep their hens safe and healthy 

  • Ron Kean, a poultry specialist with UW Extension, said farmers like the Fatkes should always use caution when letting wild birds interact with their flock

Char and Dan Fatke run Mighty Wind Farms in Sister Bay. They said their flock is healthy.

“Being that the chickens are out on the pasture, there’s not much we can do to prevent wild birds from interacting with them, but we don’t have any ducks or seagulls coming into the area that we have and so we feel pretty good about that,” Dan said.

Char said the birds are vital to their business as they sell the eggs the hens produce.

“They’re easy to raise,” she said as she fed the flock.

Ron Kean is a poultry specialist with UW Extension. He said farmers like the Fatkes should always use caution when letting wild birds interact with their flock when there’s known cases of bird flu in the state.

“Not a lot has changed actually from the spring,” Kean said. “I think monitor their birds, watch for signs of illness, try to avoid an interaction with wild birds, I think, are the biggest things.”

Dan said he and his wife do their best to stay on top of things.

“We monitor the health of our chickens just by observing them every day,” he said.

Char said they take the safety of their birds seriously. She couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to her hens.

“Our chickens are a huge priority,” she said. “They’re part of our family.”