US Egg-Laying Hen Population Implodes, Wholesale Egg Prices Hit New Record

Under the Biden-Harris administration, farmers were forced to cull tens of millions of egg-laying hens to contain the bird flu outbreak. As a direct result, the nation’s total egg-laying flock has plunged to its lowest level in nearly a decade, driving wholesale egg prices to record highs.

Trump stated this week that Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will take action on soaring egg prices, adding, “We inherited all the problems.”

Trump is correct in saying the egg-flation mess was “inherited,” as the latest Bloomberg data shows that the nation’s egg-laying hen population fell to its lowest level since 2016 last month. This decline was driven by farmers being forced to cull flocks under Biden’s first term to curb the bird flu outbreak. 

“It was important to me to see firsthand an egg-laying farm facility implementing strong biosecurity measures. We have a lot of work to do as we combat avian flu, help our poultry industry recover, and bring the price of eggs down for all Americans. More coming mid-week on this,” Rollins wrote on X on Monday. 

It was important to me to see firsthand an egg laying farm facility implementing strong biosecurity measures. We have a lot of work to do as we combat avian flu, help our poultry industry recover, and bring the price of eggs down for all Americans. More coming mid-week on this.… pic.twitter.com/rB699lGYoM

— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) February 24, 2025

Monday’s print of the Urner Barry Egg Index EBP shows wholesale prices jumped to $7.56, a new record high. Since late Decemeber, wholesale prices have jumped to new record highs by the week, with reports of egg shortages nationwide.  

We advised readers at the start of the month:

Time To Build Backyard Chicken Coop As Wholesale Egg Prices Hit New Record Highs https://t.co/nJiB1tYvNO

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 4, 2025

According to the USDA’s bird flu dashboard, 19 million birds across the Lower 48 have been infected by avian influenza over the last 30 days.

It’s time to set up those chicken coops, folks.

Panic searching on Google.

And don’t forget honeybees and victory gardens—become self-sufficient and take back control of your own food supply chain instead of relying on mega-corporations that poison food with toxic seed oils and other chemicals in processed foods.