Another commercial laying hen flock in Mercer County, Ohio, has been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that the presence of HPAI was confirmed on February 25 in the flock, which included 90,000 hens.
With this incidence of HPAI, Ohio has now had 67 commercial flocks affected by the virus so far in 2025. Of those, 43 have been in Mercer County, with two flocks each involving more than 1.4 million birds. Most of those flocks have either involved laying hens or meat turkeys, but the county has also lost layer pullets and meat ducks to HPAI this year.
Other counties to have lost commercial poultry to HPAI in 2025 include Darke, Van Wert and Auglaize.
Prior to 2025, Ohio had only lost eight commercial poultry flocks during the 2022-25 HPAI outbreak. One flock was affected in 2022, six flocks were struck in 2024, and one was hit in 2024, according to data from APHIS.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States, Mexico and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
