HOGEYE, Ark. – Arkansas officials are checking backyard chickens in the western part of the state to see if they have avian influenza.

The discovery of a low-pathogenic strain of bird flu earlier this month lead to the culling of 15,000 hens at a Tyson contractor farm in northwest Arkansas.

Reports said that the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission set up a staging area in Hogeye, not far from where the last outbreak was two weeks ago.

“We're ... going to those backyard flocks that we have found and we are actually doing the bleeding and tracheal tests on those and sending those specimens to Little Rock," said Commission Director Jon Fitch.

He said the state is following established protocols for how to respond to bird flu outbreaks.

The official said the field and lab testing would take about a couple of weeks. Poultry and eggs in that 6.2 mile radius are also being quarantined.

Source: Associated Press