Bird flu has been confirmed in the Panhandle. The Nebraska Dept of Agriculture says the state’s fifth case of avian influenza was in a small mixed backyard flock in Scotts Bluff County.
State Veterinarian Roger Dudley says the farm has been quarantined and the birds, a mix of chickens and waterfowl, have been killed and incinerated.
The department is also setting up a surveillance zone of more than 6 miles around the property, per USDA policy.
      The highly contagious bird flu virus has spread from flock to flock since February. Some 970,00 birds in Nebraska and nearly 23 million nationwide have been killed across the United States to limit the spread.