Colorado declares emergency: bird flu hits 1.3M chickens

Colorado Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera issued a disaster emergency declaration on Thursday in response to a major outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, in Weld County, located north of Denver. The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) reported a presumptive positive test for HPAI at a commercial egg-laying facility in the area. Officials are currently testing deceased chickens at the site, which houses approximately 1.3 million birds, following reports of unusually high mortality rates. The exact number of potentially infected birds remains unknown at this time.

HPAI was initially detected in the United States in February 2022, affecting both wild birds and domestic poultry populations. Recent records from the CDA indicate a series of outbreaks in Weld County during July 2024, impacting three commercial poultry operations that collectively held nearly 3.4 million chickens. One of those facilities reported a flock of 1,313,800 birds, though it is unclear whether this is the same location involved in the current presumptive case.

The emergency declaration activates Colorado’s State Emergency Operations Plan and instructs the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to provide necessary support for response, recovery, and mitigation efforts in the affected areas. It also enables the mobilization of state resources, the use of emergency funds, and expedited procurement processes to address the crisis effectively.

At the time of the announcement, Primavera was serving as acting governor while Governor Jared Polis was in Washington, D.C., for a meeting on Colorado River negotiations. The governor’s office confirmed that the decision was made in coordination with Polis to ensure a swift and coordinated response to the outbreak.