Fact check: The US had to kill chicken because of bird flu. Wouldn't have had to if there were health & safety guidelines on poultry farms that most other countries in the world adhere to. Like having a vet assessing situation at first infection, and to require workforce to change shoes / equipment every time going from one coop to the next, so as to not spread anything. At least disposable plastic shoe covers if not new shoes. About every country has had to put chicken down, but only US with proportionally so much.

1. Summary of the results

The statement's core claim about massive chicken culling in the US is accurate. Over 148 million birds have been ordered killed since H5N1 reached the US in 2022 ^[1], with some sources putting the number even higher at 166 million birds, primarily affecting egg-laying chickens ^[2]. The US has indeed implemented a "stamping out" strategy, which involves mass culling of infected flocks ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement overlooks several crucial aspects of poultry farm biosecurity:

• Modern broiler farms actually employ comprehensive biosecurity practices, including controlled farm access and strict cleaning protocols ^[4]
• Precision livestock farming technologies are being used for early disease detection ^[4]
• Vaccine handling and management is a complex issue involving multiple factors such as:
• Proper storage requirements
• Stress management
• Maternal antibodies interference
• Specific vaccination protocols ^[5]

A significant omitted detail is that the US has chosen not to adopt vaccination strategies that are being used by other countries, which could potentially reduce the need for such extensive culling ^[3].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement contains several oversimplifications and potential inaccuracies:

• It suggests that the US lacks basic biosecurity measures that "most other countries" have, but the analyses show that comprehensive disease management plans and biosecurity protocols do exist in US facilities ^[4]
• The focus on shoe covers and basic equipment changes oversimplifies the complex nature of disease prevention, which actually involves multiple layers of biosecurity and management practices ^{[5] [4]}
• While the statement correctly identifies the scale of US culling, it doesn't acknowledge that this is partly due to policy choices (like avoiding vaccination) rather than purely a result of poor safety measures ^[3]

This narrative potentially benefits:

• Competitors in the international poultry market who might gain from portraying US practices as substandard
• Advocacy groups pushing for alternative approaches to disease management, such as vaccination
• Foreign poultry producers who have adopted different strategies for managing avian influenza