Bird flu kills over 30 million US layers in 2025 – USDA AMS
Over 30 million laying hens have been lost across nine US states this year. Ohio accounts for nearly half of all bird flu-related depopulations
USA – A fresh wave of avian influenza has been confirmed in Ohio, with the latest outbreak reported in a commercial egg production facility in Darke County, marking the first new case since early March.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS), this brings the total number of birds affected in 2025 to 30.6 million, spread across operations in nine states.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has now tracked 41 outbreaks in commercial table egg layer flocks, with cases identified in Arizona, California, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
Among the total birds culled, 19.6 million were from conventional caged systems, 11 million from cage-free setups, and 26,000 from organic operations.
The losses represent about 10.8% of both the caged and cage-free non-organic flocks present as of the beginning of January this year.
While the number of hens in caged systems dropped by 12.5% between January and March, cage-free flocks increased by 4.4% and organic systems by 0.3% during the same period.
Despite the growth in alternative systems, the bulk of affected birds—almost two-thirds—still came from caged environments.
Ohio has experienced the greatest impact, with 13.5 million birds lost to the virus, accounting for 44% of all avian flu-related depopulations in the United States this year.
Officials at the USDA continue to monitor developments closely, warning that continued outbreaks may interfere with supply chains and push egg prices higher nationwide.
Avian flu spreads globally
Beyond the United States, new outbreaks have been reported in other regions, raising concerns about the virus’s global spread.
In Liberia, authorities have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza at a commercial poultry farm in Bong County, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
The outbreak, which occurred in February, led to the death of 18 birds out of a flock of 26,000 before it was detected, prompting containment efforts for the remaining birds.
Meanwhile, India is dealing with multiple H5N1 outbreaks in Andhra Pradesh, where both large-scale poultry farms and backyard flocks have been affected.
Eight separate cases were confirmed in late March, resulting in the death or culling of approximately 602,000 birds as part of disease control measures.
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