US egg prices expected to climb further as farmers strained by bird flu outbreak

As of 24 January, the wholesale price of a dozen large eggs was $7.24 in New York, $6.84 in the midwest and $8.35 in California. Photograph: Howard Schnapp/Newsday via Getty Images

Egg prices in the US have risen steeply over the last several weeks. Experts say they are likely to climb further as an avian flu outbreak decimates flocks across the country.

Though the avian flu has been in the US since 2022, the largest outbreak started in October and is still affecting millions of hens. About 14.7 million egg-producing chickens have been affected by the avian flu since the start of January, surpassing the number of hens affected in all of 2023, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).