Indiana bird flu cases explode, killing chickens, sandhill cranes, other waterfowl

• Millions of poultry in 20 facilities across Indiana have died from avian influenza
• Bird flu is killing sandhill cranes and other waterfowl across the state

Nearly 7 million chickens, turkeys and ducks at commercial farms across Indiana have contracted the highly contagious bird flu this year and concerns are rising with the disease now affecting wild birds, including waterfowl and at least one Bald Eagle.

Avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, has been identified in 20 commercial poultry facilities in Indiana since Jan. 1, according to state data, marking a significant increase in cases over recent years.

There currently is no cure for the disease, which has a high mortality rate among birds but remains low risk to people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Denise Derrer Spears, the spokeswoman of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, said the impact of bird flu varies from year to year.

“Cases have been trickling in since the first weeks of January,” she said, “but in the last week or so it has ramped up and that’s concerning.”

So far in 2025, officials have identified 6.9 million affected birds compared to about 13,100 in 2024 and less than two dozen in 2023. The bulk of cases this year are concentrated in Jay and Jackson counties, with totals of roughly 4 million and 2.5 million reported, respectively.

The jump in cases is not a major surprise due to the number of reports in neighboring states, Derrer Spears said. Ohio has been dealing with a high number of cases and many of those are concentrated at sites on or near the Indiana border.

Case numbers in Indiana are up due primarily to the disease hitting large-scale poultry farms that hold a million or more birds.

“Typically, there will be multiple houses or barns on a facility that has a large number of birds, and it is very difficult when in close proximity to keep virus out of one building,” Derrer Spears said.

Bird flu kills thousands of Indiana waterfowl

The disease has also been found in wild birds in the state. Waterfowl migrating to and through Indiana often flock in large groups, allowing them spread the disease where they congregate or stop.

Eli Fleace, an avian health biologist with Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources, said reports of dying sandhill cranes have been rolling in since January. Dead sandhills have been found this year in Union, Greene, Jasper, Newton, LaPorte and Stark counties, and DNR estimates roughly 1,500 have died across the state.

Snow geese, Canada geese, red-breasted mergansers, common goldeneyes and mallards have also died due to avian influenza, Fleace said. The bird flu has been found in at least one Bald Eagle and a handful of hawks and owls that can pick up the disease by scavenging on carcasses of infected birds.

“Avian influenza has been around since ducks have been around and we’ve had these outbreaks in the past,” Fleace said. “But it’s usually not this dramatic and often they go away after one season. This particular strain is behaving differently than every other strain has in the past.”

The current strain of bird flu (H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4), which was identified in 2021, is highly contagious and has persisted for multiple seasons, Fleace said. It is now widespread across the landscape, Fleace said, and bird populations will need to work through the disease and build up a stronger immunity.

Hoosiers who suspect a dead bird was affected with avian influenza should make a report online at on.in.gov/sickwildlife.

Does bird flu affect public health?

The CDC classifies bird flu as very low risk to humans and reports only 70 cases in the U.S. with one associated death from the disease. None of those cases were in Indiana.

Birds that die from avian influenza are not suitable to eat, Derrer Spears said, but eggs bought in the grocery store are safe and shoppers do not need to worry about eating them.

Eggs from backyard chicken coops exposed to bird flu should not be eaten or given to pets. Cats are especially susceptible to bird flu.

What’s being done about egg prices?

With hundreds of millions of affected poultry across the country, egg prices have soared as the supply dwindled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1 billion strategy Tuesday to curb bird flu cases and lower egg prices, according to a news release.

The USDA is planning to expand its wildlife biosecurity measures by deploying 20 epidemiologists and expanding audits for affected farms. The department will also increase its aid to farmers to help restock their flocks and research vaccines and therapeutics for avian influenza.

The department will also consider importing more eggs while decreasing exports, which could be complicated by the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs set to begin in March.

IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social