Bird flu outbreak causing spike in egg costs

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — Food prices are going up at grocery stores nationwide. Now just days before Easter, the cost of egg is spiking due to the bird flu outbreak.

Channel 11 spoke with a local farmer about the extra precautions he’s taking to keep his chickens safe.

David Jones is doing everything he can to protect the chickens on his farm in Cabot after the bird flu was detected nearby in Venango County.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission confirmed that it’s investigating a potential case in Butler County.

“I’m very concerned because this is my livelihood. You don’t want to know about how many hundreds of thousands of dollars i could lose if one bird gets sick,” said David Jones, a farmer in Butler County.

Jones has more than 500 chickens and is keeping them inside because he can’t take any chance that they’ll get sick.

He showed us the protective clothing he wears around them.

He’s also covering his crops, testing the water frequently and putting up tarps to keep the virus out.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price for a dozen large eggs has gone up from $1.45 in 2020 to now more than $2, and that price may go even higher.

“they could go $4 or $5 a dozen here in the next week or so,” said Jones.

Jones said if more chickens get infected, there could be a lack of eggs.

“there’s going to be a shortage of Easter eggs because all the chickens have done away with out yonder,” said Jones.

Jones said the bird flu may not go away until sometime in June or July.

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