PALMYRA, Wis, (CBS 58) – A bird flu outbreak at a commercial farm in Jefferson County has neighbors concerned about a foul odor and the overall health of their community.

“I can only describe it as chicken death fart,” said Kimberly Worthman, who lives in Palmyra. “It’s bad.”

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) identified a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry flock in Jefferson County. The affected premise has been quarantined to restrict movement of poultry and poultry products, which impacts Wortman and her own chickens.

“I have my own chicken flock, my chickens are starting to lay eggs,” Wortman said. “I do sell eggs, too. Now, we’re under quarantine, we can’t even get rid of eggs if we tried.”

DATCP says birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Wortman lives near a compost center where she says millions of dead chickens have been placed after a bird flu outbreak at the same facility last fall. She's worried this is a continued pattern.

“It seems like this is a precedent that this is going to keep happening over and over again,” Wortman said. “There’s just a lot of things that are affected, but we are mostly concerned about our health and the health of the community.”

The virus has continued to circulate in both wild and domestic birds in North America since December 2021. Bird flu is contagious and often fatal to domestic poultry. Caused by influenza type A viruses, the disease varies in severity depending on the strain and species affected. The disease can be spread by contact with infected birds, commingling with wild birds or their droppings, equipment, or clothing worn by anyone working with the animals.

DATCP works with state and federal partners to test for bird flu in dairy cattle. Of a total of over 37,000 milk samples tested, one sample in Dodge County tested positive in December.