What is the Avian Bird Flu?
Many birds, such as chickens, have recently been getting avian bird flu. Avian bird flu is a viral infection that primarily affects birds. Influenza-type viruses transfer to migrating birds through direct contact and contamination.
Wild birds can also spread this disease to domestic flocks by direct touch, surfaces, or contaminated feed and water. Direct contact can transfer to humans.
Cutting Down the Infected Population
Production of eggs has dropped significantly due to illness and culling measures. Infected flocks often experience rapid and high mortality. This decreases the number of hens usage and can lower their overall productivity.
Due to the culling process, it is difficult to regain the population and would take time to recover.
Effects on the U.S.
Most citizens look for cheaper brands and switch to generic brands to buy and cook eggs. Even though most people see buying eggs as a negative aspect, some take this opportunity to reshape how food goes into their houses.
“It hasn’t affected me yet but I feel like towards near the end of the school year, I might have to eliminate some recipes we do” speaks culinary teacher, Ms. Mollica. She states that due to the egg prices, she might have to remove some of the recipes she teaches in her cooking classes.
Is it easier to own your chicken farm?
Owning a chicken farm would be more difficult because it doesn’t look as easy as it looks. To own a chicken farm you would need to handle the chicken budgeting tools. Things such as bedding, feed, labor, etc. Therefore owning a chicken farm wouldn’t be the best option.
“Yes and no, we have had chickens since COVID. So in 2020, we got them when it was a trend and it was much cheaper…now everything for the chickens is more expensive. You can’t get medicine for them, the food to feed the chickens is more expensive. So it’s fun but the cost is now maybe not as worth it as it used to be” states McNamara. Meaning that it was easier when the flu wasn’t going around but nowadays items are more expensive to provide them.
What is the U.S. doing to fix the rise in egg prices?
The Washington White House announced a $1 billion strategy to protect the poultry industry and make egg prices go lower. Some money would go for research and development, others would go to farmers for their losses and some would even go to bio-security measures.
The US Department of Agriculture is willing to help farmers by minimizing the burdens of harvesting homegrown eggs. With this, they will also work with these farmers and other scientists to help develop innovative strategies to have the HPAI outbreaks under control.
