"Just like people get the flu, birds get the flu. Some strains are a lot worse than others. In this case, it's really bad. It kills the birds," said David Anderson, an economist at AgriLife.
"We started off the year as normal at our normal time with 600 birds. They had not even left the rooting barn yet; the bird flu came into the area," said Cathy Cabalo, the owner of Cabalo's Orchard and Gardens."When we're looking at 600 turkeys, that are bread and butter to the season, we didn't dare let them outside."
Out of the 585 flocks confirmed to have cases of Avian flu, 333 are backyard flocks – with the CDC advising folks raising their own birds to do so with caution. That means wearing protective equipment like goggles and masks especially when handling sick or dead birds. The avian flu is not just an American problem, in the U.K, poultry farmers have been ordered to keep birds indoors as the country has recorded its largest spread on record more than 200 cases.
"Right now we're seeing a little bit of a shortage in the bigger sizes," said Scott Podd, co-owner of Ray's Butcher Shop.