A commercial turkey flock in Sullivan County has been hit with bird flu, the first case in southwestern Indiana in a year.
According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, the owner of the 45,000-bird flock noticed a lot of turkeys died overnight late last week. The case was confirmed Saturday.
“This is the first time we've had a case in memory in Sullivan County,” said Denise Derrer Spears, public information director for the board. “This is an unusual finding from that perspective. However, it's that time of year where we're going to start seeing cases crop up.”
As spring arrives, so too will migratory waterfowl that are known to carry High Pathogenic Avian Influenza. This strain of the virus has been in circulation nationwide since 2022. Eight million birds were lost in the first half of 2025 in Indiana alone, mostly concentrated in Elkhart and Lagrange counties.
“We've had almost 90 cases up there just since Oct. 9,” said Spears. “So, it's been pretty rugged up there as far as what's going on. It's been a hard year.”
The board said bird flu presents no food safety issues because all birds get tested for the disease before being processed.
Any sightings of dead birds can be reported to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
