ONE report says OVER 159 MILLION hens have been killed.
Yes, that’s because if one hen has tested positive, the entire flock is destroyed.
https://www.eggsunlimited.com/commercial-egg-production-101/
Laying hens produce about 295 eggs a year and with over 300 million laying hens, the industry produces over 7 billion dozen eggs each year.
From Brave AI:
Commercial Henhouse Capacity
Typical modern in-line egg production operations: A facility may have 1.5 to 4.0 million laying hens, with some farms housing up to 50,000 to 75,000 hens, and larger farms having several hundred to several thousand hens.
Nest-run egg operations: These operations currently range from about 75,000 to 500,000 hens.
Large commercial producers: They tend to be highly automated and may have flocks of 75,000 hens or more, with 192 egg producing companies accounting for 95% of all layers in the United States.
Midwest multi-age, in-line egg production facility: A typical facility contains 1.5 to 4.0 million laying hens, with a 75% average rate of lay, producing 1.25 to 3.0 million eggs per day.