State wildlife officials on Wednesday that more than 50 whitetail deer were killed on the Kent County breeding farm where chronic wasting disease was found in one of the animals.

Officials are not identifying the owner, nor the location of the farm, citing confidentiality issues. The deer shot Tuesday evening were transported to the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State University for examination.

The deer carcasses will be incinerated after they are tested.

"The owner will not be able to put cervids (deer and elk) on that property ever again," said Bridget Patrick, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Agriculture. State officials say the mutated protein that causes the disease is difficult to get rid of once it's in the soil.

Eradicating deer that have come into contact with an infected deer is standard protocol, officials say. The state quarantined all 558 captive breeding facilities in Michigan on Tuesday for an indefinite duration, hoping to stop animal movement between facilities until more is known about the source of the infection.