Bird Flu and Egg Prices

Avian influenza has been around for many years, but since a little over a year ago, January 2022 in fact, there has been an uptick in cases affecting U.S. poultry. The last serious outbreak was in 2014-2015. While it is a deadly disease in birds, it has only crossed over to one human in the U.S., and they recovered quickly.

The bird flu is spread among birds much like the human flu strains spread among humans: nasal secretions, feces and saliva of infected birds can pass the illness along to other birds that come in contact with these. Laying hens that are kept in close proximity, as they are in factory farm models of care, are more likely to spread the disease quickly. Unfortunately, once one case is confirmed, the entire flock must be eliminated in order to avoid further spread.

According to the CDC, over the last year, the bird flu and the destruction of flocks to decrease the spread of the disease has resulted in the death of over 57 million birds. It has mostly affected the laying hens, and I speculate that is because they have a much longer life span than the variety of chickens raised for meat. Meat chickens are processed at 6 - 8 weeks of age, giving them less time to contract or spread diseases.

What am I doing about the bird flu on our farm? I am reassured that there have been no cases reported in Guilford County, but I am aware that there have been cases in Onslow, Durham, Union and Wake Counties, as well as a few others. Since the disease can be carried by migratory birds, poultry owners across the U.S. are on high alert for disease in their flocks.

Here's the CDC Avian Flu data by state: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/data-map-commercial.html

I keep close tabs on my flock, and any sick or injured birds are separated from the flock immediately and quarantined until recovery. We've not lost any hens to any type of respiratory illness; I like to think because I keep them so healthy and spoiled! Predators such as foxes and hawks are more of a threat to our flock. Thankfully our livestock guardian dog, Sasha, does a great job of deterring outsiders, including anything that flies, from mingling with our flock.

Increased feed prices due to inflation in conjunction with the shortage of commercially produced eggs has put a strain on the egg supply, driving up the prices. I did the math once, before feed prices were high, and basically, in order to do a little better than just breaking even on eggs, you need to have a minimum flock size of around 2,000 hens young enough to produce an egg every single day. Pretty much any store that offered those dozen eggs for $1.99 were operating on the Walmart model: bulk buy in large quantities to keep prices cheap. These mass production flocks are the ones that have been catching the brunt of the disease spreading, in part due to their hens' sheer numbers and cramped living spaces.

Here's what "cage free" living is like on the industrial scale:

Local small scale egg producers don't keep flocks in great numbers for a variety of reasons. For me, I like to keep the numbers at a manageable level for maximum care for the hens. I have a large enough coop to hold well over 100 birds, but keep it stocked at half that because I've found when they get too cramped, they fight over roosting space and are more stressed in general. They get treats, attention, a clean coop with spacious pastures to roam. I can keep my eye on each of them and know most of them individually. I could never provide this quality of care for a flock of 2,000. Industrial-model chicken factories hold more like 10,000 chickens. Per building. I recently read of a cage free chicken house in Iowa that holds 540,000 hens.

Smaller scale flocks get better care and attention but can never provide the cheap prices reflected by the commercial egg industry. I purchase my feed by the bag, from the same guy my father-in-law and his mother bought feed from at the mill down the road, not by the tactor truck load. I add fresh bedding to the coop and nesting boxes regularly. I buy special supplements in the winter to make sure they have all the nutrients they need. We built a spacious mobile coop palace to cart them around to fresh pasture regularly, hooked up to a tractor that needs servicing and fuel. We've added moveable fencing for an added measure of protection from predators when our livestock guard dog is on baby goat duty in a different pasture. And not to mention our time mucking out the coop, packing eggs, cleaning waterers and feed cans.

Let's talk about the fact that chicks have to be fed, watered, kept warm, and watched closely for 5 months before they even lay their first egg. That's a lot of time and money to invest in something that isn't producing anything but dirty bedding for 20 weeks.

Add all that up, and small-scale poultry keeping is not cheap. Enjoyable, rewarding, with more nutritious eggs that taste way better than what you find in the commercial egg industry, but not cheap. And if you've ever had eggs from our hens, you know you can taste the difference, see the difference in the brightly colored yolks, and feel the difference in the tougher, more calcium rich outer shell.

The grocery store has become the "place where food comes from" for so many people creating a disconnect between the true effort required to produce quality, healthy, nutrient rich foods. The bulk purchase power of the food industry giants has driven down the prices, and allowed the mainstream folks to take for granted the food that magically appears on the shelves, including eggs. Cramming as many animals as feasibly possible and treating them like widgets, is asking for problems with disease. With outbreaks such as the avian flu looming overhead, it is becoming more apparent that working with mother nature, rather than an attempt to control Mother Nature, is necessary in order to enjoy her bounty.

To all of you who remember where a carrot comes from, the effort it takes to raise livestock humanely, and believe in the paradigm of creating a relationship with nature in order to reap it rewards, thank you!