Bird flu wipes out 3,000 hens at Cook County farm: 'Pretty devastating'

The Thomas family, owners of the Kakadoodle farm in Matteson, suffered a devastating loss when avian bird flu wiped out their entire flock of 3,000 hens.

The highly contagious virus was confirmed last Friday after USDA officials conducted testing, forcing the family to euthanize the remaining birds and enter a 150-day quarantine.

What we know:

The outbreak began about 10 days ago, when the Thomas family noticed birds in one coop dying. The issue spread to their second coop, and despite initial suspicions that cold weather was to blame, testing revealed the presence of avian flu.

Officials believe the farm’s free-range chickens contracted the virus from wild birds around the chicken’s feed.

USDA representatives tested the flock using swabs and lab work conducted at the University of Illinois. While there is no other livestock on the property, preventing further spread, the quarantine has halted the farm’s chicken operations until summer.

What they're saying:

"We're in a 150-day quarantine now, so we're not able to bring any more chickens onto the farm for 150 days, which is pretty devastating," said Marty Thomas of Kakadoodle, whose tough times during a health scare led him and his wife to create Kakadoodle, offering people clean, free-of-chemical foods.

Marty Thomas is a cancer survivor. His diagnosis was thought to be connected to a chemical sometimes used in farming.

However, the family’s online farmer’s market business, which delivers food from their farm and other local producers, will continue operations in the coming weeks.

"The week before all this happened, we were sitting in church and our pastor said, ‘You know, when bad things happen, you can either ask, why me? Or you can ask what's next?’ So we're asking what's next?" said Marty Thomas.

What's next:

There is a GoFundMe raising money for the Thomas family who is hoping to rebuild a new chicken coop that will help separate the wild birds and their hens’ feed.

"We have a lot of people that love us and encouraged us to do it. It's one of those things that we didn't want to ask for help, but some things are just bigger than us," said Marikate Thomas.

While the loss of the chickens—uninsured—was a significant blow, the Thomas family plans to restart their egg production this summer. Their online farmer’s market, Kakadoodle, is expected to resume deliveries soon, helping the family maintain some income during the quarantine period.

As for Kakadoodle egg customers, no need to panic. The USDA says the biggest threat from bird to human spread is through direct contact, not through eating eggs.

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