The great egg-hunt, what caused an egg shortage.
A grocery staple that for decades has been a relatively cheap and reliable item has now become an elusive and even lavishly priced commodity. The egg shortage has resulted in plenty of empty shelves and customers having to shell out more cash for the hard-to-find egg cartons.
According to the USDA, about 60 million birds are gone because of the disease so far. Farmers across the country have had to destroy entire flocks of chickens if one or more of the birds test positive for the avian flu.
Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman with the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said that after facilities are sanitized and restocked with healthy laying hens, it takes about four to five months for them to “reach peak productivity” of about 24 eggs per month. This particular strain of avian flu is highly contagious and kills 90% to 100% of chickens within 48 hours.
Nationally, the cost of eggs was around $2.37 a dozen last week, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but residents in some states are paying two and three times more for eggs than they were at this time last year. Follow SpotLife ASIA for the latest news and updates.
At least 47 states have been affected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, since February 2022. So far in 2023, bird flu reports have been filed with the USDA from Montana, California, Nebraska, Colorado, Washington, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri and Oregon.
California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota and Washington. Since the outbreak began, Iowa, the largest egg producer in the United States, has been hit the hardest. More than 15 million birds were destroyed in that state alone last year.
The USDA’s Economic Research Service said in a recent forecast that wholesale egg prices will likely decline as the industry rebuilds egg-laying flocks. That takes time, though.
After chicken facilities are sanitized and restocked with healthy hens, it takes about four or five months for the birds to “reach peak productivity” of about 24 eggs a month.
