QUEEN ANNE’S CO., Md. - The Maryland Department of Agriculture has announced a presumptive positive case of H5 avian influenza, or bird flu, at a commercial broiler farm in Queen Anne’s County.
State officials say the affected farm has been quarantined and all birds on the properties are being euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the affected flock will not enter the food system, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The Department of Agriculture says this is the second case of bird flu detected in the county and the tenth in all of Maryland in 2025. On Saturday, Dec. 20, the department said final confirmation of the disease is pending testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
Bird flu is highly contagious and spreads among birds through nasal and eye secretions as well as manure. Poultry such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys are highly susceptible to the disease, as are some wild birds like ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture offers the following tips to help prevent the spread of avian influenza:
-Look for signs of illness. Know the warning signs of infectious bird diseases.
-Report suspected sick birds:
-To report a possible case of HPAI in a commercial or backyard flock, call the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5810.
-Commercial chicken growers and backyard flock owners can email questions about the outbreak to MD.Birdflu@maryland.gov.
-To report a sick wild bird in Maryland, call the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Services hotline at (877) 463-6497 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
More information on avian influenza in poultry flocks can be found here.
