3 Lancaster County poultry flocks dealing with outbreak of bird flu

• By Nathan Willison/ LNP | LancasterOnline

Three Lancaster County poultry flocks have reported outbreaks of bird flu, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two poultry flocks and one commercial duck flock have reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the last week, affecting over 55,000 birds in the county.

The Department of Agriculture has reported active outbreaks of bird flu in Lancaster, Lebanon, Cumberland, Dauphin and Lehigh counties as of Monday with over 2.2 million birds affected statewide, according to the latest available data.

The Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services have created safety zones around affected farms in East Lampeter Township and Clay Township.

According to the Department of Agriculture, farms testing positive for the H5N1 virus strain are quarantined and all commercial poultry facilities within a 10-kilometer radius of infected flocks are subject to testing requirements and restrictions on moving poultry products. Dairy farms within 3 km are also subject to testing requirements and restrictions on transporting products.

No infections in dairy cattle or humans have been detected in Pennsylvania to date, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

In a news release Thursday, a Department of Agriculture spokesperson said that while there is no risk to the general public and poultry products are safe to eat when cooked properly, the current bird flu is highly infectious and fatal to domesticated birds.

The last major bird flu outbreak occurred in 2022 when 3.5 million birds across the state had to be euthanized.

Dr. Gregory Martin, who teaches poultry management and farm safety with Penn State Extension, said euthanizing infected flocks is the most effective way to ensure influenza does not spread from one farm to another.

Martin said that compared to 2022, the poultry industry is better equipped to handle the current outbreak of avian flu.

“From an education and preparedness standpoint, farmers are better prepared to handle this,” Martin said.

Martin said it is important for farmers and anyone raising backyard chickens to practice good biosecurity habits such as washing all equipment and clothing after handling birds and preventing wild birds from co-mingling with domestic flocks.

“This is the time for farmers to wrap-up their biosecurity levels to keep the birds safe,” Martin said. “Just like a wildfire, we need to do everything we can to keep our property and families from getting burned. It’s the same thing here.”