More turkey flocks have been lost to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States during the 2022-24 outbreak than any other commercial poultry flock type.
According to information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and state agriculture agencies, the U.S. turkey industry has lost 340 commercial flocks during the past three years. Of those, 305 were classified as commercial meat turkeys, 25 were turkey breeder hen flocks, and four were turkey breeder replacement hen flocks. Five turkey breeder flock and one turkey poult flock were also lost to HPAI.
Roughly, two-thirds of commercial flocks in the United States that were lost to HPAI in 2022-24 have been turkey flocks. According to APHIS, 508 total commercial flocks were affected by the virus during that time span. By comparison, the egg industry lost 57 flocks, the broiler industry lost 43 flocks, the duck industry lost 24 flocks. There were also 29 upland gamebird flock losses during the past 29 years. Additionally, ten flocks classified simply as “pullets” were lost, as well as five flocks that were referred to simply as “poultry” were lost.
In terms of bird losses, 14,668,560 turkeys have been lost during the outbreak. Most of those turkeys – 13,979,300 – were classified as meat turkeys. Breeder hen losses amounted to 482,400 birds, and 123,000 turkey breeder replacement hens were also lost. The past three years also saw the loss of 75,760 breeder toms and 8,100 poults.
The U.S. turkey losses accounted for about 14.67 percent of the commercial poultry losses for 2022-24. According to the APHIS figures, 100,063,080 commercial birds have been lost so far in the outbreak, with the last case being confirmed on July 29.
Turkey losses by time
More than half of the U.S. turkey flock losses during the 2022-24 outbreak occurred in 2024, with 185. In 2023, flock losses amounted to 91, while during the first seven months of 2024, 30 flocks were lost.
This chart shows the U.S. turkey flock losses by month during the 2022-24 outbreak.Denise O'Keefe
April 2022 was by far the month that had the most flock losses with 82. The month that saw the most losses in 2023 was November, with 40 flocks affected – also the month with the second most flock losses during the past three years. June has been the month where the most U.S. turkey flock infections so far in 2024, with eight.
In terms of bird losses, 2022 was hit the hardest, when 9,745,260 turkeys died. In 2023, 3,673,800 turkeys were lost and so far in 2024, 1,249,500 birds have been lost.
This chart shows the U.S. turkey losses by month during the 2022-24 outbreak.Denise O'Keefe
April 2022 also saw the biggest impact, with 3,351,300 turkeys affected. Other months with more than 1 million turkey losses were March 2022, September 2022 and November 2023.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States, Mexico and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
