Bird Flu Detected In Metro ATL Backyard Flock

ATLANTA, GA — Bird flu has been found in a small flock in metro Atlanta, the third diagnosis in a backyard and the fourth detection in nearly three years statewide, state officials said.

The positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - bird flu disease - was detected by Georgia agriculture officials and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Clayton County flock included 13 chickens and ducks, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. They sat on a residential property that was near a manmade lake often frequented by wild birds, including known HPAI carriers waterfowl, Georgia Ag officials said.

The owners of the flock first noticed increased deaths in December 2024, with three birds dying in a brief amount of time, Georgia Ag officials said. Their carcasses were refrigerated and were tested on Jan. 6 by the Georgia Poultry Lab Network, officials said.

The lab confirmed the positive case of bird flu Wednesday, and federal veterinary services officials confirmed the finding Friday, Georgia Ag officials said.

Transmission may have occurred through "interaction with wild birds or from viral material shed by wild birds into the environment," Georgia Ag officials said.

No commercial poultry or dairy cattle operations are located within at least 6 miles of the Clayton property, Georgia Ag officials said.

The Clayton County property was depopulated, cleaned and disinfected to hinder the spread of the bird flu, Georgia Ag officials said. The property is under a 10-day surveillance.

The state department said four overall detections of bird flu have been since February 2022, when the national outbreak started.

“As the ongoing, nationwide HPAI outbreak continues, implementing and maintaining strict biosecurity measures has never been more important," Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a news release.

"To date, the ongoing outbreak has impacted more than 133 million birds nationwide and less than 0.025% of those birds have been from Georgia, the nation’s top poultry producer – that speaks to the effectiveness of biosecurity and the importance of the work our animal health professionals and poultry producers are doing every single day to ensure the safety of their animals, employees and operations."