LANSING, MI (AP)-- State officials are urging Michigan's poultry owners to watch for signs of bird flu during the fall migration season.
Migrating birds carry diseases that could spread to poultry operations if the wild birds mingle with domestic ones.
Poultry across much of the nation was hit with a bird flu virus this past spring, one of the biggest animal health disasters in U.S. history.
No cases were detected in Michigan's domestic birds.
But State Veterinarian Dr. James Averill says backyard poultry owners should take precautions such as restricting access to open ponds, giving the birds water from wells or municipal systems, and keeping feed away from wild birds or rodents.
The DNR routinely conducts flu surveillance on wild bird populations, examining those live-trapped or found dead.
