The Matteson farm loses a whole herd of hens because of an avian flu epidemic

Kakadoodle farmers, a family chicken farm located in the southern suburbs of Matteson, were recently in their chicken coops because a water pipe had frozen when they discovered around thirty dead birds.

Marikate Thomas, owner of Kakadoodle with her husband, said that at the beginning, they thought that deaths were linked to low temperatures.

“It was just when time was changing,” said Thomas. “It was very cold, so we just thought it was cold weather.”

When they returned to the chicken coops the next day, they found hundreds of dead chickens, she said.

When they returned the next day, hundreds of others died. Friday evening, the tests confirmed that the hens died of avian flu. As a team of employees from the US Ministry of Agriculture in protective clothes went to the farm on Saturday to kill the remaining pools, only about 500 were still alive, said Thomas. About 2,500 people had already left.

Even if the couple did not expect their farm to be faced with an epidemic, they had started to take precautions a few days before the herd was infected, like giving their hens for garlic and vinegar of Apple cider to help them strengthen their immune system, said Thomas.

“I hoped that it would not affect us, but four days later, we were there,” she said. It is simply breathtaking, the whole sequence of events, the speed with which it struck us and where we are today.

Aviary flu, commonly known as avian flu, is a viral infection that spreads in birds, cows and other animals, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The Thomas herd chickens are among the millions of wild and domestic birds who died in the past two years in the world. The avian flu has also killed sea lions, destroyed vision farms and eliminated cats, dogs, skuffs, foxes and even a polar bear. A pink flamingo and a common seal of the Lincoln Park zoo were also recently slaughtered by avian flu.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that in last month, the virus had been detected in 84 commercial herds and farmyard in the United States, with 10.7 million birds on these sites.

Although human cases are rare and mainly occur among agricultural workers, a person died of avian flu: a Louisianais over the age of 65 who was hospitalized for serious respiratory symptoms.

Thomas thinks that hens have been infected with wild birds that have entered the food of chickens.

“We tried to have … a sound system to try to keep wild birds away,” she said. “But when you have high poultry in grazing, it’s difficult.”

Carol Cardona, avian health professor at the University of Minnesota, said that even if farmers can take precautions to prevent infection, once she begins to spread in a single farm, he is extremely difficult to stop it.

The best way for farmers to protect their herds is to practice biosecurity, said Cardona. This implies protecting the foods of wild birds by storing them inside, limiting contacts with visitors likely to have rubbed shoulders with infected animals and prevent chickens from accessing water bodies where wild birds Perched, she explained.

After the epidemic, Kakadoodle was subjected to around forty 150 days, said Thomas, which means that they cannot grow products or raise chickens on the farm before June.

Even if most of the farm income came from the sale of eggs, Kakadoodle’s hens producing nearly 2,000 eggs each week, Thomas said that she hoped that the farm would restore completely.

“Through this whole process, we realized that we have no control over what is going on,” she said. “We can do our best, but ultimately … You work with Mother Nature. »»

Meanwhile, Thomas and her husband launched a gofundme on Sunday which raised just over $ 20,000 on Thursday evening. The funds will be used to support the Kakadoodle online market and to pay farm employees, she said.

The money raised will also be used for a new chicken coop at tunnel high of $ 60,000 and the reconstruction of the farm’s herd, said Thomas.

“We hope to have a larger infrastructure where we can accommodate our birds with their food inside, so that they can stay safe,” said Thomas. “In this way, our chickens will be able to go out and live in freedom, but they can also be inside to eat. »»

The decimation of the herd seems minor compared to the family experience about six years ago, when Thomas’s husband, Marty, developed a non -Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

The couple has four children and their youngest had 3 months when Marty was diagnosed, said Thomas.

According to Thomas, non -Hodgkin’s lymphoma is linked to exposure to glyphosate, a widespread chemical in conventional agriculture. The Cleveland Clinic claims that “certain research shows that people exposed at certain high levels of pesticides, such as agricultural workers, may present a slightly increased risk of non -Hodgkinian lymphoma”. The risk of low or periodic exposure is not certain.

The possible triumph of marty on cancer inspired the family to try to make healthy and local food more accessible. They therefore founded Kakadoodle-which was not called cock-a-Doodle because the domain name was not available. Their farm raises chickens without chemicals or antibiotics, and their hens spend time in pastures.

In addition to its cooperatives, Kakadoodle has a distribution center where it brings together products from other farms. Kakadoodle has around 500 customers who command on a weekly or bihebdomedary basis, said Thomas.

She thinks it is vital to buy food from local farms.

“There are things that completely escape your control, and you need more support and awareness of the work that farmers and risks they take,” said Thomas.

The Associated Press contributed.

Initially published: January 23, 2025 at 6:12 p.m.