No Irene-Related Poultry Deaths in Md. After All

Maryland agriculture officials said there were no poultry deaths in Maryland after all due to Hurricane Irene.

Julie Oberg, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, said Thursday that an earlier report from the department of about 30,000 chicken deaths in Maryland was a mix up that resulted after a conference call with a large number of people about storm damage with Delaware officials.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture had reported the deaths in Maryland on Tuesday. The department issued a statement Wednesday night saying the deaths had occurred in Delaware, not Maryland.

Anne Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman with the Delaware Department of Agriculture, said Thursday the Delaware State Veterinarian's Office has received reports of 57,000 poultry deaths due to Irene.