KX NEWS

Bird flu detected in backyard chicken flock in Kidder County

This 2017 photo shows cage-free chickens on a Versova farm in Iowa. The nation's egg producers are in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains. (Versova via AP)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The bird flu has been confirmed in a non-commercial, backyard chicken flock in North Dakota. Officials say the poultry flock is in Kidder County.

It’s the first confirmed cases in the state since 2015. Farms that raise poultry for consumption have been on high alert and taking steps to increase biosecurity since avian influenza was recently discovered in a handful of states, including Minnesota State animal health officials have quarantined the property. All birds in the flock will be destroyed and will not enter the food system.

Officials say the bird flu detections do not present an immediate public health concern.