1M SICK CHICKS IN CALIF.

Bird-flu culling

A bird-flu outbreak is ravaging California’s massive poultry industry, forcing businesses to kill more than 1 million chickens and causing egg prices to soar.

Mike Weber, who owns Sunrise Farms in Sonoma County, learned last month that his chickens had become infected with the highly contagious virus. Per government rules, he had to slaughter his entire flock of 550,000 egg-laying hens.

“It’s a trauma. We’re all going through grief as a result of it,” Weber told The Associated Press inside an empty henhouse. “Petaluma is known as the Egg Basket of the World. It’s devastating to see that egg basket go up in flames.”

The avian flu is wreaking havoc in California a year after an outbreak in the Midwest caused egg prices to skyrocket to record highs nationwide.

Officials have declared a state of emergency in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, after nearly a dozen commercial farms killed more than 1 million birds to curb the outbreak in the last two months.

Merced County in Central California also has been hit hard, with outbreaks reported recently at major commercial farms.

Bird flu is spread by ducks, geese and other migratory birds. While the waterfowl carry the virus without getting sick, they can transmit it to chickens through their droppings and nasal discharges.

State Veterinarian Annette Jones urged farmers to keep their flocks indoors until June — including organic chickens that are normally required to have outdoor access.

“We still have migration going for another couple of months,” said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation. “So we’ve got to be as vigilant as possible to protect our birds.”

Chicken prices up too

The outbreak caused egg prices in the Bay Area to spike over the holidays before eggs could be imported from other states.

The average price of a dozen eggs more than doubled to $4.82 at its peak in January last year. It returned to normal as farmers restocked their flocks. Turkey and chicken prices also increased.

California’s outbreak has affected more than 7 million chickens in about 40 commercial and 24 backyard flocks, according to the USDA. Most were infected over the past two months in the North Coast and Central Valley regions.