EGGS VS CHICKEN WINGS!

[SLK230]

Can anyone tell me why there is a shortage of eggs but no shortage of chicken wings?

[John Q. Public]

Bacon also got cheaper. I'm calling a conspiracy by Big Cackleberry!

[Fordama]

Different breeds of chicken. Chickens bred for meat--Cornish, Broilers--grow faster it's easier to replace their population in an infected crop. Chickens bred for egg laying--Browns, Legohorns--can lay over 300 eggs a year. Hard to replace that production quickly.

Rhode Island Reds are dual purpose--lots of eggs and good meat--but don't grow terribly fast. Good for you looking to raise your own chickens.

Before you ask, **** you, I grew up in a farm town. I actually have some relatives that raise their own chickens.

[SLK230]

How long does it take before chickens bred for egg laying can start laying?
I assume weeks?

[joefutbol]

Up to six months for eggs vs six weeks for your chicken wings. I'd wager the negative supply chain effect will be exponentially worse for eggs, though.

[SLK230]

But the egg layers can lay 300 eggs/year. The wing chickens you get 2 wings and they are done forever.

[MDDad]

John, FYI, pigs don't lay eggs, so your comment about the price of bacon is somewhat irrelevant.

I had two uncles who owned chicken/egg ranches in east Anaheim when I was a kid, and my brother and I worked their every summer for about eight years, so I also know a little about chickens and eggs, although I'm still not sure which came first.

I shop at the same Stater Bros every week, and during the last year of the Biden administration the price of a dozen large eggs increased from $3.99 to $9.99, or 250%. Since Trump took office, the price has dropped every two weeks from $9.99 to $8.99, to $7.99, to $6.99, and this week it was $6.69 (a drop of 33%). At the same time, the price of chicken meat has changed very little. I'm sure there are some who believe that's just a coincidence.

Also, since 2022, it's estimated that over 110 million chickens have died of avian flu or were destroyed at the behest of the Department of Agriculture under the Biden administration. That is commonly expressed as the reason for the rise in egg prices. However, there is no evidence that a flu virus knows the difference between an egg layer and a meat chicken, so nature would suggest that the avian flu would have affected both types of birds. If the laws of supply and demand still hold, apparently it didn't. Yesterday I bought two large chicken breasts for $1.99 a pound at the same Stater Bros. where the price of eggs is still almost double what it was a year ago.

[John Q. Public]

John, FYI, pigs don't lay eggs....

Huh. Thanks for the insight.

[joefutbol]

I shop at the same Stater Bros every week, and during the last year of the Biden administration the price of a dozen large eggs increased from $3.99 to $9.99, or 250%. Since Trump took office, the price has dropped every two weeks from $9.99 to $8.99, to $7.99, to $6.99, and this week it was $6.69 (a drop of 33%).

Avian influenza outbreaks between 2022 and 2024 led to the culling of 58 million egg-laying hens (~18% of U.S. flocks), which directly caused supply shortages. Egg prices typically take 6–12 months to stabilize after these types of disruptions due to the 24-week maturation period for replacement hens. A price decline beginning in January 2025 would align with industry recovery timelines.

Also, since 2022, it's estimated that over 110 million chickens have died of avian flu or were destroyed at the behest of the Department of Agriculture under the Biden administration.

The 110 million figure conflates all poultry, not just egg-laying chickens. Turkeys and ducks are included in that number. USDA-mandated culling is standard protocol during avian flu outbreaks to prevent zoonotic spread, and it's not a partisan policy. Meat chickens constituted only 12% of culled birds in 2023 due to their shorter lifespans and isolated conditions.

However, there is no evidence that a flu virus knows the difference between an egg layer and a meat chicken, so nature would suggest that the avian flu would have affected both types of birds.

While viruses don’t discriminate, production systems absolutely do. Meat chickens are typically raised in biosecure, single-age barns with 6-week turnover. This limits the duration of the outbreak. Egg farms maintain multi-age flocks for continuous production, creating persistent transmission risks. And CDC data that shows 83% of 2023 avian flu cases occurred in egg-layer/pullet facilities.

If the laws of supply and demand still hold, apparently it didn't. Yesterday I bought two large chicken breasts for $1.99 a pound at the same Stater Bros. where the price of eggs is still almost double what it was a year ago.

Supply-demand laws do explain this disparity:

Meat chickens reach market weight in 6 weeks, allowing rapid flock replacement. A 50% supply loss recovers within 8 weeks (1.3 production cycles).

Egg layers require 24 weeks to mature. A 50% supply loss creates a 24-week deficit (4 production cycles).
So meat prices stabilize faster post-disruption, while egg markets exhibit prolonged volatility. This is a well-documented occurrence in agricultural economics.

Egg production has an 8x longer recovery period than meat production, and we're not even touching on the rise in feed costs (~30% for egg layers vs <10% for meat birds) or the labor shortages and their effect on the supply chain and prices.

[John Q. Public]

Good news! Eggs are practically free now!

[MDDad]

Eggs were down another 60 cents from last week at Stater Bros this morning. That's a 40% reduction since January 20. Who wants to be the first to tell me this is proof that Bidenomics is working?

[John Q. Public]

It's the cod liver oil they're been giving the chickens.

[Vilepagan]

Who wants to be the first to tell me this is proof that Bidenomics is working?

It's amazing how some people can read this thread and not learn a dam thing. You're just intent on blaming bird flu and the reproduction rate of egg-layers on Biden no matter how foolish that makes you look.

[John Q. Public]

Great job, Mr. President! No president in the history of mankind has ever done so much to lower the price of eg...... er, wait....