WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — Avian influenza is killing birds in the United States at rapid rates, hiking the prices of eggs and other chicken products at stores.
Chickens can contract the disease after exposure to other wild birds. So, the coops are closed, the birds are in quarantine and chicken farmers are feeling the impact.
Samantha Poulson, a northwest Ohio hobby farmer, started raising chickens to teach her two daughters the value of sustainability.
"Healthier for me, healthier for my family," Poulson said. "I started it for my kids to learn responsibilities taking care of animals."
She then started selling eggs to her neighbors. But as store prices rose, she found it hard to meet the demand in her neighborhood for freshly-farmed eggs.
"Prices in the stores are just ridiculous right now. $4 for a dozen," Poulson said. "And that's just the caged chickens, you're not getting the free range with all the vitamins in them."
When demand rises, prices typically do, too. But Poulson said this time, avian influenza is the cause for expensive eggs.
"The price is higher on eggs right now because of the avian flu a couple of months ago," she said. "(It) wiped out a good chunk of the chickens that were laying the eggs for the grocery stores."
Nick Eckel, an agriculture and natural resources educator with a Wood County-based Ohio State University extension, said about 10% of the U.S. bird flock has been killed.
"Around 40 million laying hens have been affected due to the disease," Eckel said.
And it only takes about 24 hours for avian influenza to kill a chicken, Eckel said.
The solution to high prices is a simple, but time-consuming, answer: produce more healthy chickens.
Eckel said the first quarter of 2023 will likely see more pricey eggs, but "as we start to fill those barns back up and we restock the barns, we will slowly start to see it decrease the price."