South suburban chicken farm decimated by bird flu

Flock of egg laying domestic hens with brown feathers standing on floor of poultry farm shed
Flock of egg laying domestic hens with brown feathers standing on floor of poultry farm shed Photo credit Getty Images

MATTESON (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The bird flu has wiped out a flock of chickens on a family farm in south suburban Matteson.

The owners of Kakadoodle Farm said they lost almost 3,000 hens to avian flu.

MariKate and Marty Thomas said they initially thought, when 30 of their chickens began dying without symptoms last week, the freezing weather was to blame.

But, USDA workers inspected the farm on Friday and confirmed it was bird flu, likely from infected wild birds eating their chicken feed.

While the farm is under a quarantine, the Thomases have set up a GoFundMe campaign to keep their farm running until they can begin selling eggs again in June.

In an online fundraiser, they mentioned building a better coop to keep their chicken feed safe from wild birds.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images