If you’ve noticed an increase in the price for eggs you may wonder – they’re so common, and one of the easiest foods to manipulate for whatever your purpose may be. They’re such a staple that people have been using them for about 6 million years; people domesticated egg producing animals by 3200 BCE. So why now, in the 21st century, are egg prices so high? And why are they continuing to rise despite the innovation of modern farms and the incredible efficiency of them and their operations and production?
If you’ve heard any news on egg prices – which you most likely have – you’d know their prices have risen significantly. How much exactly have they gone up is the biggest question. The answer, it depends on where you live, where the eggs come from, and the conditions in which the chickens are kept in a particular farm.
There are different ways chickens are kept in farms, some are humane than others. However the main concern, for this particular topic at least, is how easily transmittable these conditions make bird flu. The basic types of chicken – or poultry – farms are: broiler farms, layer farms, and free range farms. What’s the difference and how do they have better and worse conditions for bird flu to spread.
Broiler Farms
Broiler Farms are used to raise poultry for meat, essentially they provide the poultry we eat. Birds in these farms are selectively and rapidly bred for the maximum production and efficiency. The demand for meat is extremely high so there are many of these farms and they are usually very large in size.
Layer Farms
Layer Farms are used for eggs, they are called layer farms to allude to the fact that the hens in these farms are they layer of eggs. Hens start laying eggs at the age of 16-21 weeks old, layer farms collect hens by the time they are 25 weeks old. Once they are unable to lay eggs, or their production rate slows down enough, they are considered “economically unviable” which happens after about 1 year of egg laying and are slaughtered, usually around the age of 72 weeks old; though at this point they naturally have another 6 years left of their life. However, in some countries, rather than slaughtering entire flocks, they use a practice called, “force moulted” in which the hens are restricted from food for 1-2 weeks, sometimes also restricted water for extended periods of times. This re-invorgerates egg laying in hens, giving them more time to be of use to these farms.
Free Range Farms
Free Range Farms, to the best of their ability, try to mimic the conditions chickens would experience in the wild, or at least somewhere they are there as pets for a period of time. They are hidden inside when weather gets bad and are also confined in coops during the night to protect them from potential predators. They can be grown for meat and/or eggs.
In farms where chickens are more separated and don’t have as large populations, bird flu is not as much of a concern, though it still happens, it’s usually more containable as the spread is slower. However, these farms also are the most susceptible to catching bird flu in the first place, as they are most likely to come into contact with wild birds.
How does bird flu spread?
Bird flu spreads through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces that have been contaminated with the viruses. A variety of domestic animals like chickens, lambs, cows and even humans as well. All mammals are susceptible to bird flu, but some are more than others. This means that even your pet cat or beloved dog can be at risk for bird flu as well.
Why is it so bad if a chicken or other mammals catch bird flu?
In domesticated pets like cats or dogs, symptoms can be severe and include the following; Fever, Lethargy, Low Appetite, Reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes or nose, difficulty breathing and neurological signs like tremors, seizures, incoordination, or blindness. However, the main reason bird flu is being focused on right now is because of the amount of chickens that have died from it.
Specifically, the reason why it’s so bad for livestock farmers is because it causes a lack of egg production. Because eggs are becoming more and more rare, this causes their prices to reach an all-time high – or peak. Out of all the animals, bird flu is also the most lethal to poultry. Chickens, out of all the livestock, have the shortest amount of time after catching bird flu before they just drop dead.
Sources
https://extension.umn.edu/poultry-health/avian-influenza-basics-noncommercial-poultry-flock-owners#:~:text=Highly%20pathogenic%20avian%20influenza%20(HPAI)%20is%20rapidly%20fatal%20for%20poultry,signs%20followed%20by%20rapid%20death.
https://www.pilmico.com/types-of-poultry-farming/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultry_farming
