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Biosecurity for Birds:

AVIAN INFLUENZA

Avian influenza (AI), 

or “bird flu,” is a 

contagious disease 

that can infect all 

types of birds. All 

bird owners should 

be aware of the AI 

basics, what you can 

do to help prevent the 

disease, and the steps 

to take if you suspect 

your birds may have it. 

After all, you are the 

best protection your 

birds have.

Know the Signs of AI

• Sudden death without clinical signs

• Lack of energy and appetite

• Decreased egg production

• Thin-shelled, soft-shelled, or misshapen eggs

• Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks

• Purple discoloration of the wattles, comb, and legs

• Nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing

• Lack of coordination

• Diarrhea

How AI Spreads

AI spreads quickly by bird-to-bird contact. AI virus can travel on manure, egg flats, crates, other 

farming materials or equipment, and people who have picked up the virus on their clothing, shoes, 

or hands. Migratory waterfowl can also carry the disease.

Practice Backyard Biosecurity

To help prevent disease from spreading:

• Restrict traffic onto and off of your property.

• Disinfect shoes, clothes, hands, egg trays or flats, crates, vehicles, and tires.

• Avoid visiting other poultry farms or bird owners. If you do, be sure to change clothes and clean 

your hands and shoes before entering your own bird area. 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 2140-3
APHIS Factsheet | Veterinary Services | Issued July 2013 | Reprinted April 2016

Biosecurity for Birds: Avian Influenza – Continued

Media representatives 

may contact:

Public Affairs

USDA Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS) 

(301) 851-4100

Vaccines

In the United States, vaccination against AI is not routine, nor is it our first choice for dealing 

with an outbreak. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is not common in our country—it is 

considered an exotic disease here. If HPAI is detected in U.S. poultry, APHIS will work with the 

States to respond and quickly eliminate it. 

While AI vaccines reduce outward signs of the disease in birds, they do not prevent birds from 

becoming infected. If used, vaccines can help slow the spread of AI to protect healthy birds outside a 

quarantine area. But vaccines cannot eliminate the disease itself.

Vaccination is, therefore, one tool we can use as part of our overall eradication strategy, along 

with many other actions needed to stop an HPAI outbreak: quarantines and animal movement 

restrictions, emergency euthanasia and depopulation of animals, cleaning and disinfection at affected 

locations, surveillance to detect any disease spread, and proper biosecurity. 

If approved for use during an outbreak, vaccination would be directed by Federal officials.

Smart Practices When Buying Birds

To help be certain your new birds are healthy, here are a few simple steps you can follow:

• Buy from a reputable dealer,

• Request certification from suppliers that birds were legally imported,

• Maintain records of all sales and shipments of flocks,

• Keep new birds separated from your flock for at least 30 days, and

• Keep young and old birds and birds of different species and from different sources apart.

Report Sick Birds at 1-866-536-7593.

If your birds are sick or dying, call your agricultural extension agent, local veterinarian, or the 

State veterinarian. Or, call the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) toll-free at 1-866-536-7593,

and we’ll put you in touch with a local contact.

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