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Avian Influenza Strikes Again, This Time in Kosciusko County

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The eggs from chickens fed orange corn tend to have dark orange yolks. This high color pigmentation comes from an increased amount of carotenoids that get transferred to the eggs from the chickens' diets. Photo: Tom Campbell / Purdue Agricultural Communications.

In a release Wednesday evening, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health revealed the latest detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been found in Kosciusko County, impacting a commercial table egg pullet facility. Pullets are young chickens, typically under one year of age. The size of the flock impacted is 23,700.

Since January 3, 2025, there have now been 21 cases of HPAI identified at major commercial poultry facilities throughout Indiana (excluding hobby flocks and small non-commercial farms):

Federal officials with USDA add that avian influenza does not present a food safety risk, and that cooked poultry and eggs and pasteurized dairy products remain safe to eat.

Testing will be done at nearby flocks to determine whether HPAI has spread. USDA Wildlife Services and Indiana Department of Natural Resources are assisting with surveillance of wild birds in and near the control areas.

Lactating dairy cattle must have a negative test before interstate movement under a federal order. USDA has expanded surveillance through testing milk at the farm or processor level to establish the health status of herds, as well as states.

Indiana is ranked first in the U.S. for duck production, third for egg production, and fourth for turkey production. Indiana’s poultry industry directly employs more than 12,700 Hoosiers and contributes more than $18.3 billion in total economic activity to the state.