Bird flu detected in another Georgia poultry facility, third case this month

For the third time in less than a month, a Georgia commercial poultry flock has tested positive for a contagious strain of bird flu that’s deadly to birds, state agriculture officials announced Wednesday.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture said the virus, the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, was detected in a Hart County facility used for breeding “broilers,” or chickens raised for meat. Hart County is located in rural northeast Georgia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the risk to humans from H5N1 is low, but public health officials fear the virus has the potential to morph into a pandemic.

Before January, Georgia’s behemoth poultry industry — which produces more broiler chickens than any state in the country — only had three bird flu detections in commercial facilities since 2022, when an unprecedented outbreak of the virus began.

Less than a month into 2026, the state has already equaled that total after the latest positive test.

The first case of bird flu detected in a Georgia poultry flock this year occurred in Walker County, in northwest Georgia, and was announced on Jan. 14. The infection led to the culling of all 71,000-plus poultry that were housed there.

Just 10 days later, on Jan. 24, a new case was announced in another Walker County facility located near the first, necessitating the killing of 16,000 more chickens to prevent further spread.

The third and latest case was detected after a Hart County producer noticed signs of illness in his flock on Jan. 24. The GDA did not identify the affected facility but said the producer reported the symptoms to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, which collected samples that tested positive for bird flu that same day.

All 39,600 chickens at the Hart County facility will be culled as a result, the GDA said.

Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said with the recent cold temperatures and migratory birds passing through the Peach State, “it is not unexpected to see an uptick in HPAI cases.” Waterfowl and other wild birds are known vectors for the virus.

“Biosecurity is our best defense against HPAI, and we’re encouraging producers around Georgia to ensure they continue to implement Gold Standard biosecurity protocols,” Harper said in a statement while reiterating that the food supply is safe.

To prevent the spread, GDA will restrict all movement of poultry or poultry products from facilities within a 6.2-mile or 10-kilometer radius of the site. The agency said it will also enhance its testing efforts within that perimeter.

Georgia is home to more broilers than any state in the country and produced an estimated $6.1 billion worth of chicken in 2024, the most recent year data is available.

The new cases are likely to lead to new or extended export restrictions that could affect poultry producers across the state, at least temporarily.

The first positive test this month triggered a temporary ban on exports of Georgia poultry, broilers and eggs to Mexico, the largest buyer of U.S. poultry products. In 2024, Mexico imported nearly $1.5 billion in non-egg chicken products from the U.S.

Before the two most recent cases, it was possible Mexico’s ban could be narrowed to the county level. It was not immediately clear where the export restrictions on Georgia poultry stand now.

The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, the trade association for the country’s poultry and egg industry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.