Poultry farmers worry as bird flu pushes up egg prices
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - As bird flu forces farmers nationwide to kill millions of birds a month, the shortage of birds is raising the demand and prices for eggs, South Carolina farmers say.
The average price of eggs per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December compared to $4.82 two years ago, but those prices are expected to continue to rise.
Waffle House adds 50 cent surcharge per egg
Soaring egg prices are hitting Waffle House customers.
Lowcountry farmers said bird flu is one of the biggest contributors to high egg costs. It’s causing U.S. farmers to have to kill millions of chickens, raising the demand and making it harder for local farmers to get healthy birds to produce those eggs.
“The supply of eggs is down throughout the country and I’m afraid they are going to continue to go down as more and more farms are hit by bird flu,” Legare Farms co-owner Thomas Legare said.
“Egg prices are due to supply and demand which typically doesn’t affect a small farm like ours but this time it has,” Storey Farms owner Jeremy Storey said.
Both Legare Farms and Storey Farms have had to raise their prices. Storey said hatcheries can’t keep up with the amount of birds being put down due to bird flu.
“For the first time it has affected us, we’re unable to get replacement flocks for birds,” Storey said.
It’s the second time in 10 years they’ve raised the price up 50 cents for wholesale and a dollar for retail market per dozen.
At the grocery store, you can typically see a range starting around $4 to $12 a dozen depending on the type of egg. However, even the mass-produced egg prices have gone up drastically.
Bird flu discovered in a second Georgia commercial flock
A second commercial case of avian influenza, or the “bird flu,” has been confirmed in northeast Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
“It’s made our demand go through the roof because typically we are a product that is more expensive and right now our eggs are significantly cheaper than a white egg you can get at a restaurant,” Storey said.
Legare said they’ve decided with inflation impacting feed costs, it’s not worth raising the bulk of their own chickens anymore.
“We have to get some from another farmer and he’s had to raise his prices which has in return made us have to raise our prices more,” Legare said.
It’s not just eggs from chickens being affected by this.
New bird flu case puts Georgia ag officials on red alert
With an outbreak of bird flu reaching commercial flocks in the nation’s top poultry- producing state, what’s ahead for agriculture?
“We raise a lot of ducks for eggs and we’ve had to raise the price on them also,” Legare said.
Poultry farmers are hoping for the sunny side in the future but are left with a hard-boiled likely truth.
“It’s been 3 years in a row where its been catastrophic and there is really no end in sight to that,” Storey said.
The United States Department of Agriculture predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
