Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in a Multi-Species Backyard Flock in Dallas County

Jan 02, 2026

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) in a multi-species backyard flock in Dallas County, Iowa. This is Iowa’s 10th detection of H5N1 HPAI within domestic birds in 2025.

About H5N1 HPAI in Birds

H5N1 HPAI is a viral disease that affects both wild and domestic bird populations. H5N1 HPAI can travel in wild birds without those birds appearing sick, but is often fatal to domestic bird populations, including chickens and turkeys.

Heightened Biosecurity

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is strongly encouraging Iowa poultry producers and backyard flock owners to continue bolstering their biosecurity practices and protocols to protect their flocks. The Department has numerous biosecurity resources to reference on its website.

Suspected Cases in Poultry

If poultry producers or those with backyard birds suspect signs of H5N1 HPAI, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases must also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5305.

Clinical signs of H5N1 HPAI in birds may include:

Sudden increase in bird deaths without any clinical signs
Lethargy and/or lack of energy and appetite
Decrease in egg production
Soft, thin-shelled and/or misshapen eggs
Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
Purple/blue discoloration of the wattles, comb, and legs
Difficulty breathing
Coughing, sneezing, and/or nasal discharge (runny nose)
Stumbling and/or falling down
Diarrhea

Source : iowaagriculture.gov

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

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