Two more cases of bird flu have been confirmed in Wisconsin poultry flocks – one in Jefferson County and another in Walworth County – both owned by the egg producer Daybreak Foods, Inc.
The Jefferson County flock contained more than 1.6 million chickens and the Walworth County flock nearly 1.5 million. The properties have been quarantined and the birds will be depopulated to prevent further disease spread, according to news releases from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Daybreak Foods is headquartered in Lake Mills, between Milwaukee and Madison, and raises more than 24 million laying hens, according to its website.
There have been four detections of bird flu in poultry flocks in Wisconsin so far in 2026, according to the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The first was also at a Daybreak Foods farm in Jefferson County, affecting 1.2 million birds, and the second was a backyard flock of 55 chickens in Dane County. Both instances were reported in late February. Daybreak Foods’ Jefferson County facilities were also quarantined last fall for bird flu cases.
The bird flu virus has been spreading around the U.S. since 2021, affecting poultry, wild birds, dairy cattle and other mammals. In the past 30 days, 68 cases of bird flu in poultry have been reported across 23 states, according to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Wisconsin saw its first bird flu detection in a dairy herd in Dodge County in December.
Humans can occasionally become infected through interaction with animals. In the U.S., there have been 71 human cases of bird flu reported since February 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including one in a Barron County, Wisconsin, farmworker in December 2024.
Risk to the general public remains low, according to the CDC. There has not been any evidence of person-to-person spread.
The state Department of Health Services and the Jefferson County and Walworth County public health departments are monitoring exposed farmworkers for symptoms of the disease.
To report increased mortality or signs of illness among domestic birds, dairy cattle, or other animals, use the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s Reportable Animal Disease online form.
Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bird flu found in more Wisconsin poultry flocks owned by Daybreak Foods
Reporting by Madeline Heim, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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