Egg prices continue to climb Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, continue to drive egg prices to record highs across the U.S., said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.
David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station, said egg prices have skyrocketed to record highs due to ongoing supply disruptions caused by HPAI outbreaks in commercial laying flocks.
Wholesale prices for large Grade A eggs hit an all-time high of $6.14 per dozen on average nationally Jan. 18, according to the latest USDA report. For perspective, the previous price peak for the same dozen eggs was $5.38 in December 2022 and $2.20 per dozen in January 2023.
“There is seasonality to egg prices based on demand, but the cutting of supplies, in this case by disease, has driven prices higher,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go higher in the next report, but there is price volatility when you consider the supply and demand factors in play.”
Laying hen numbers impacting egg supplies
The USDA reported 304 million table egg laying hens in the U.S. flock as of Jan. 1, a 2.3% drop compared to the 311 million laying hens at the same time last year.
Greg Archer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension poultry specialist and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science, Bryan-College Station, said the time it takes to rebuild the laying hen flock will depend on factors still in flux.
Environmental conditions are prime for the HPAIcausing pathogen, he said. The disease prefers temperatures below 90 degrees.
The poultry industry, which has dealt with multiple avian influenza outbreaks since 2015, aggressively applies its biosecurity regimens, but intermittent outbreaks continue to occur.
Archer said migratory birds have historically been the main culprit. For instance, the pathogen might be introduced to a poultry house in the form of migratory bird feces on the bottom of a shoe or from farm to farm in the tread of a feed delivery truck.
“Farmers take biosecurity seriously because they’ve been dealing with the threat for years,” he said. “The big question this time is the strain mutations and how outbreaks in poultry facilities are occurring.
Rebuilding the eggproducing flock
When it comes to replacing lost birds, Archer said it can take 20 or more weeks for birds to develop from incubated eggs to pullets to production-ready laying hens.
Laying farms are typically large and can include 1 million or more birds living in several stand-alone laying houses.