Posted on 11/26/2024 8:08:20 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Egg prices are rising once more as a lingering outbreak of bird flu coincides with the high demand of the holiday baking season.
But prices are still far from the recent peak they reached almost two years ago. And the American Egg Board, a trade group, says egg shortages at grocery stores have been isolated and temporary so far.
“Those are being rapidly corrected, sometimes within a day,” said Emily Metz, the Egg Board's president and chief executive officer.
The average price for a dozen eggs in U.S. cities was $3.37 in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was down slightly from September, and down significantly from January 2023, when the average price soared to $4.82. But it was up 63% from October 2023, when a dozen eggs cost an average of $2.07.
Metz said the egg industry sees its highest demand in November and December.
“You can’t have your holiday baking, your pumpkin pie, your stuffing, without eggs,” she said.
Avian influenza is the main reason for the higher prices. The current bird flu outbreak that began in February 2022 has led to the slaughter of more than 111 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens. Anytime the virus is found, every bird on a farm is killed to limit the spread of the disease.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
And the price of feeding chickens has risen the same. So unless you need a lot of eggs and the extra labor it is about the same price as buying them from the store.
That’s the best one I’ve seen so far! :)
We buy eggs from Kroger. This year they have fluctuated from $5.49/18 eggs down to $2.99/18 eggs. The price moves up and down depending on Krogers sales.
My daughter lives in southern IL and she said that eggs there are $4 a dozen at Aldi.
We got chicks this past spring and they are now mature enough and have been laying really well. We cut down on feed expenses for them by:
Free Ranging
Expiring feed we get for free from a friend who owns a pet supply store
Food scraps that WERE going to the compost now go to ‘the girls’
Just bought layer mash on sale at 10% off this week - also a mix of crushed corn (still cheap!) and layer mash works just fine
But, having raised laying hens in the past in a big way (50 or so in each flock) for egg sales, it’s a fine ‘profit line’ for ANY animal you’re raising yourself.
We also raise a beef steer every 18 months. Again, money saved by pasturing them all spring through fall, then we only need to ‘finish’ them (hay and bagged grains) in the winter months before they go to ‘the spa’ the following spring. ;)
Where the Cost of Eggs Is Highest
As evidenced by the price data, some states are more expensive than others when it comes to what you’ll pay for a dozen eggs on average. In descending order, here are the 10 states that had the highest cost overall for a dozen eggs:
• Hawaii
• Florida
• Alabama
• Nevada
• California
• Arizona
• Georgia
• Wyoming
• Maine
• Colorado
In each of those states, shoppers paid $5.70 or more on average for a dozen eggs. Hawaii is the most expensive state to buy eggs, with the average cost of a dozen eggs nearing $10.
https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/average-cost-of-a-dozen-eggs/
I remember my Grandma saying the ONLY time she ever spanked my Dad was when he was a toddler and threw a number of precious eggs (this was during the Depression) under their icebox.
I agree, if you have the natural resources or a cheap source it is still worth it.
Lower fuel costs will bring down delivery costs for our food and should initiate some of our costs coming down before December.
imo
Tell me how “inflation is down” when eggs are $4-5 per dozen...
Its insane anyone ever thought Kamala could win
Everything is more expensive
Precisely
Bought eggs each of the last two weeks at Aldi in Florida.
First week they were $3.54
This last week they were $3.85.
No where near $5.70. They could be that at Publix or one of the boutique shops, I suppose.
I’m getting stronger as I get older. I can now lift $100 worth of groceries with one hand.
We keep a flock of chickens at our house, between 12-20. We lose one here and there to a coyotes or foxes. I don’t know why more people don’t keep chickens. They’re very easy to care for. We track and weigh the eggs we get by color and size. We’ve collected over 10,000 eggs since we started. They are so delicious too, way better than store-bought. I have 3 boys and they eat a ton of eggs. My oldest probably ate 3 a day throughout high school. As a football, wrestling and rugby player this was great protein.
Know before you go.
$4/dozen at HEB over the weekend here in Central Texas.
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