Clemson Urges Bird Owners to Boost Biosecurity
Animal health officials warn owners of backyard poultry and pet waterfowl to protect flocks as migrating birds arrive.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Bird Watching
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Clemson University animal health officials urged owners of backyard poultry and pet waterfowl to strengthen biosecurity measures. The warning comes as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in domestic flocks in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina in 2026.
Why it matters
Waterfowl are migrating south along the Atlantic Flyway to overwinter and can carry diseases such as HPAI. South Carolina's commercial poultry industry has so far avoided the virus, making prevention on backyard flocks especially relevant.
As of Oct. 15, 2026, HPAI had been confirmed in one domestic poultry flock in South Carolina and four each in Georgia and North Carolina. The CDC has counted 72 human A(H5) bird flu cases in the United States since February 2024, and no person-to-person spread has been identified.
The players
Clemson University
A public research university in Clemson, South Carolina, whose animal health officials issued the biosecurity warning for poultry and waterfowl owners.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The U.S. federal agency that tracks human bird flu infections and reported the 72 A(H5) human cases in the United States since February 2024.
The details
Officials advise owners to keep domestic birds away from wild waterfowl and from ponds, lakes, and other waters wild birds may use. There is no evidence that people in the United States have been infected by eating properly handled and cooked poultry products.
Timeline
February 2024: CDC begins counting US A(H5) human bird flu cases.
Oct. 15, 2026: Latest HPAI flock and CDC case counts reported.
Nov. 3, 2026: Biosecurity warning published.
Seasonal Patterns
The warning follows the seasonal pattern of waterfowl moving south along the Atlantic Flyway each fall to overwinter. Those migrating birds are the channel through which HPAI reaches domestic flocks in the Southeast.
Owners of backyard chickens, ducks, or pet waterfowl should keep their birds away from wild waterfowl and from ponds and lakes that wild birds use. Anyone who finds a sick or dead bird can call the Clemson poultry sick or dead bird reporting line at 803-788-2260.
The takeaway
Keeping domestic birds separated from wild waterfowl is the most practical step owners can take as migration moves south this season. Early reporting of sick birds helps protect both flocks and the wider poultry industry.
Further reading
Explore more on Bird Watching to see how migrating waterfowl move through South Carolina each season.
More information
To report a sick or dead bird, call the Clemson poultry sick or dead bird reporting line at 803-788-2260.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 101.7 WGOG.
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