Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm | 28 May 2024 | More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced Tuesday. Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in a years-long outbreak that now is affecting dairy cattle as well. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, leading to the slaughter of nearly 1.4 million chickens. Overall, 92.34 million birds have been killed since the outbreak began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.