Guarding the Henhouse

Bird flu could hit the U.S. in the next few months. But poultry farmers are gearing up to beat it back

Joe Chisholm, 62, has taken every precaution that he and the poultry industry can think of to protect his chicken farm in Pocomoke City, Md., from avian flu. After he gets up every morning at 5:30, he reads the paper, drinks a cup of coffee and heads out the door for the first of four inspections of his chicken houses about 30 yards away, keeping an eye open for sickly-looking birds. He also sprays his shoes with disinfectant when he goes to an area where other chicken farmers may be, washes down all trucks before they roll onto the farm and...

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