In the little town of Clarence, New York, fourth-generation farmer Brian Kreher has had a lot of sleepless nights due to the most recent influenza outbreak.
His 18-acre farm is one of the fortunate ones, he says. He has not lost any birds to the virus that has devastated poultry farms around the United States, thanks to stringent safety measures.
However, the outbreak compelled him to make difficult decisions, such as accepting a fresh batch of newborn chicks from a facility close to a Pennsylvania virus hotspot. He wouldn’t have any hens to replace those that pass away or become ill if he didn’t.
Kreher said, “I had no choice,” to the news. “It was either accept those baby chicks, or over the next year, we slowly exit farming.”
