In late March of 2022, hordes of migrating black ducks and mallards descended on our farm pond and departed the next day, only to be replaced by another wave. In Maine, where we live, that’s the time of year when migrating birds pass through in massive numbers. That year, the ground was still frozen, with patches of dirty snow everywhere, but ponds and rivers had opened up, and the fields were saturated with water.
I’d heard warnings circulating among the poultry community about highly pathogenic avian influenza, so when I saw the wild birds, I considered our options for protecting our flock of geese, chickens, guineas, and ducks. Unfortunately, they’d all outgrown being kept in any indoor space we had available for longer than overnight. I’d heard similar warnings about avian flu in previous years and nothing had ever come of it, so we decided to let our flock out like normal. Then, one morning, I headed out to the barn and found a goose dead in the stall. She was older and had no other symptoms, so I thought perhaps it
