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POULTRY HOUSES LATEST VICTIMS OF WINTER WEATHER
Thirteen poultry houses in West Virginia, along with 26 houses
in neighboring Virginia, have collapsed, killing thousands of birds,
according to West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass.
“The massive amounts of snow and ice left by this weekend’s
snow storm proved to be too much for many of the poultry houses
in Hardy, Grant and Pendleton Counties,” said Commissioner
Douglass. “Thankfully, I have heard no reports of any people
being injured as a result of these roof collapses, but we have another
issue to deal with besides just the snow and ice.”
As much as 30 inches of snow hit the poultry producing region in
the state’s eastern panhandle, and many of the roads in the
area remain virtually impassable, hampering the effort to get to
the poultry houses.
According to Commissioner Douglass, some of the local farmers are
using tractors and other farm equipment to help state highways workers
clear roads.
“Thank goodness those farmers have the equipment they do and
the inclination to assist,” said Commissioner Douglass. “The
Department of Highways has done an admirable job working around
the clock during this emergency, but I think it’s fair to say
that this storm has overwhelmed highway crews up and down the east
coast.”
Roads to the affected poultry houses will need to be cleared to
allow heavy equipment in to move the fallen roofs and clean up the
dead birds. Commissioner Douglass said he believes the mortalities
can be composted without much difficulty once the carcasses are
collected.
Most of the damaged houses contained approximately 25,000 chicks
each, although some 26,000 breeder birds and an as-yet-unknown number
of turkeys also were reported dead as of noon Tuesday.
The dimensions of the houses are approximately 45 x 400 feet, and
they often contain computerized climate control systems. Construction
cost for a new house runs roughly $250,000. Including the value
of the birds, overall losses could run as high as a half-million
dollars per house.
“At this time, we might have $10 million worth of damage overall.
I hope and believe that many of these houses are insured, although
federal money may become available to assist the affected growers,”
said Commissioner Douglass. “I have contacted the Governor’s
Office and the Office of Emergency Services, which has already dispatched
National Guard personnel to the panhandle to assess the situation.”
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