Outbreak of avian flu at ‘Kakadoodle’ chicken farm in Matteson results in multiple hen fatalities

MATTESON, Ill. (WLS) — The first known outbreak of bird flu at a farm in Illinois this year has been reported in the south suburbs.

It’s a devastating blow to “Kakadoodle” in Matteson. The owners told ABC7 it’s been a whirlwind of a week dealing with the setback.

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Just one week ago, everything seemed normal in the henhouse. They had 3,000 hens.

Initially, the owners discovered that 30 of their birds had passed away, attributing it to the sudden drop in temperatures. They assumed it was due to environmental factors. However, over the following days, the remaining birds became ill and succumbed to the same fate, leading to the confirmation of a bird flu outbreak by a veterinarian and the USDA.

Owner Marty Thomas remarked, “Which is a pretty devastating blow fortunately Kakadoodle is more than just a chicken farm. We’re an online farmers market so we deliver products from our farm and surrounding farms to people’s homes.”

Established on the property since December 2023, the owners are now facing a 150-day quarantine period. This restriction hampers their production and sales capabilities, posing a significant challenge to their operations.

“Bad things happen things happen in life, but the people that succeed are the ones that say, ‘What’s next?’ not, ‘Why me?'” owner Marikate Thomassaid. “That carried us through last week and it’ll carry us through this.”

The set back will force the Thomas family to lose thousands of dollars a week that would have come from eggs. They hope to keep business going with on their website, where they sell local chemical free meats, greens and dairy.

Kakadoodle is now going through a series of steps under a quarantine, sanitizing and clearing certain parts of the property. They hope to rebuild a safer henhouse once the quarantine is lifted in June.