Agriculture officials say the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu in a flock of chickens has resulted in the death of nearly 48,000 birds at a north Alabama farm.

After confirming the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu in a flock of chickens, nearly 48,000 birds were killed at a north Alabama farm, state agriculture officials said.

A Marshall County commercial pullet farm — one that raises chicks from hatching until they are ready to produce eggs when they are moved to a laying barn — was placed under quarantine after samples were confirmed positive for HPAI, the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries announced Friday.

HPAI is highly contagious to birds but considered low risk to humans and the virus is not considered a threat to food safety, the department said.

  • ColeSloth
    42·
    1 year ago

    Not really. They just save the bigger/cuter ones. Thousands of mice, voles, moles, birds, rabbits, etc die from plowing up all the fields and machine gathering crops. Farming plants still kills lots of animals. Just not cows pigs and chickens.

    • Nora@lemmy.ml
      1·
      1 year ago

      You still farm crops to feed cows and pigs… You actually farm way less just to feed a human. So either way you’re still killing less animals over all. And there are also study’s showing the vast majority of field animals run to the edges of the field when the combines come.

      • ColeSloth
        1·
        1 year ago

        That’s true of the crops for animal feed, but then one cow will provide over 1,000 meals worth of food, as well as feeding everyone’s pet dogs and cats.

        I’m thinking the difference in death tolls between natural omnivores compared to vegans is closer than you think.

    • Xcf456@lemmy.nz
      21·
      1 year ago

      Still a net reduction though, a lot of those crops go to feed cows, pigs and chickens so if you remove that step and just eat the crops far fewer animals get killed

      • ColeSloth
        1·
        1 year ago

        Sure (maybe. Cows raised mainly on pasture grass might not actually cause that), but the point I’m more trying to make is that it’s dumb for a vegan/vegetarian to act like they aren’t killing animals so they can eat. One cows life can provide 1000 meals worth of meat. How many small animals died to get 1000 meals worth of salads, because I’m willing to bet it’s more than just 1.