SA's egg and poultry farmers are weighing up whether to continue housing their free-range birds.
Authorities had asked producers to voluntarily house birds to protect them from the spread of H5N1 bird flu.
New bird flu cases have eased in SA in recent weeks, but authorities say it is still spreading.
Three months after South Australian egg farmers were given the voluntary order to put their free-range chooks in lockdown, some producers are setting their hens free again.
In August, Riverland egg farmer Darren Letton was among those who took the precautionary step to lock his hens inside.
The deadly H5N1 virus had been detected in wild birds several weeks earlier and the number of confirmed cases was quickly climbing.
But now, as those cases dwindle, Mr Letton has released his chooks – albeit with some reluctance.
While the poultry industry has not reported any cases of bird flu in any agricultural settings across Australia, there is still some risk.
"Having a voluntary order allowed us to make that decision for ourselves, so a couple of weeks after [that] I decided to lock up my birds," Mr Letton said.
"Last week I decided it was time to let the birds out again.
It is a choice facing many of the state's free-range egg and poultry producers, with the SA government's…
