Bird flu detected in Butler County backyard flock

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — A case of bird flu was detected in Butler County last week, and it has local farmers concerned.

“It’s concerning because that’s my livelihood,” said David Jones, the owner of Jones Farm in Cabot.

Jones said he’s taking every precaution to keep his flock safe from the viral infection.

“You have to look at the bottom line. There is not a lot of profit in poultry at all so if you don’t take care and you lose them, I don’t know how a farmer recovers from losing a flock,” Jones said.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture confirmed an infection at a backyard flock in Butler County on Feb. 20, with 610 birds affected. It’s not a commercial farm and the location has not been released. This is the first confirmed bird flu case in Butler County since early 2022.

So far in 2025, seven commercial folks and eight backyard folks have been affected in nine counties across the state. Agriculture officials say 2,345,170 birds were lost to the virus.

For now, Jones is keeping his 275 hens indoors. He plans to do the same thing when he gets 150 more hens next month and 5,000 turkeys in April.

Jones is allowing a few workers will have access to his flock and they will continue to wear clean sanitized boots and other protective gear. He also may have a new protocol in place for customers purchasing eggs at his farm.

“I might have to have appointments where they tell me what time they are coming and I’ll meet them and I’ll bring the eggs out,” Jones said.

Jones said that new protocol for his customers may start in April.

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