MINNEAPOLIS - One of the largest US egg producers says it will destroy 2 million egg-laying hens in the central state of Minnesota due to a deadly bird flu virus.

The development at the Minnesota chicken farm brings the total of affected birds to 35 million in 15 states, with Minnesota and Iowa poultry flocks hit the hardest.

The chickens will be destroyed in the next four weeks at Rembrandt Enterprises farm in Renville, the Star Tribune reported Saturday (http://strib.mn/1RY7AGg).

The company's vice-president of marketing, Jonathan Spurway, said one barn holding around 200,000 birds was infected, but the entire flock will be killed as a precaution.

Chickens at the farm have tested "presumptive positive" for the disease "despite the herculean efforts of Rembrandt's employees to keep our facilities virus-fee," Spurway said.

Rembrandt Enterprises suffered an outbreak in its Rembrandt, Iowa, facility May 1, contaminating one barn housing about 250,000 hens. A third plant in Thompson, Iowa hasn't been affected.

"We're doing everything we possibly can (to protect flocks), and we don't know of anyone who's doing anything we're not already doing," Spurway said. "The industry is lost for words."

Before Saturday's announcement, 88 Minnesota turkey and chicken farms had been affected by confirmed or presumed outbreaks of the H5N2 avian influenza virus, which had cost the state's producers around 5.8 million birds.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced Friday the cancellation of all exhibits featuring birds at the Minnesota State Fair this year to stem the spread of the H5N2 virus. The directive also prohibits exhibitions at fairs, petting zoos and sales.

Other states have already taken similar actions.