Rare chicks go into hiding as bird flu hits Iowa

New York

LESS than 24 hours after a deadly infection of bird flu was confirmed at a turkey farm north of Des Moines, Iowa, Bud Wood packed about 3,500 rare chicks into boxes and put them in a truck. With the delicate birds just hours old, the president of Murray McMurray Hatchery drove through the night to a friend's farm in Texas "just to have them in a safe place", he said.

Breeding chickens that are the valuable genetic source for egg-laying hens have gone into hiding as the outbreak of bird flu in poultry has developed into the worst animal-health emergency in US history. Some have been relocated as far away as Brazil.