An official with the Georgia Poultry Federation recently spoke on WDUN's Mornings on Maine Street about a jump in egg prices brought on by avian influenza, as well as what those with backyard flocks should do to protect their birds from the illness.
Mike Giles, president of the federation, said there are a variety of reasons for the rise of egg prices, but avian influenza is the main one.
"When you look at avian influenza and its impacts on the poultry industry, historically, 2015 was our last significant outbreak nationwide," Giles said. "This outbreak in 2022 was different in that normally in the summertime we see a decrease or pause in the outbreak and we just didn't see that. And so it continued throughout the year ... somewhere around 45 million laying hens were impacted by the outbreak."
Giles said there have not been any commercial detections of avian influenza in eggs or broilers in Georgia. However, the number of hens affected nationally was a significant percentage of the national flock consisting of about 330 million birds.
Aside from avian influenza, inflation in general has had an impact on egg prices. Giles referenced the increasing cost of labor, feed, transportation and fuel.
Giles said avian influenza is considered a foreign animal disease.
"Our approach ... is to always be looking for it in all of our commercial flocks, and then when it is detected, eradicate it," Giles said. "This highly pathogenic version of avian influenza has very high mortality rates. There really is no treatment for it, unfortunately."
Giles said those with backyard flocks should be equally concerned about the virus. He recommended keeping birds in a coop, and away from any wild birds.
"If your backyard flock is allowed to roam the property, they go down to the edge of a pond or a place where wild birds have deposited droppings," Giles said. "That is certainly one possibility for transmission."
Even if birds are being kept in a coop, Giles said a number of precautions should still be taken.
"You have to be very aware that when you bring anything into that coop, it should be disinfected. Especially pay attention to your feet," Giles said. "You should use either dedicated footwear that you only wear inside the coop ... or have a way of disinfecting your feet, your shoes, as you walk in."
More information about what you can do to protect your flock can be found here. If you suspect your flock may have a bird that's infected, dial the Georgia Avian Influenza Hotline at (770) 766-6850.
Giles said those with backyard flocks and those on the commercial side should keep their guard up heading into the warmer months.
"The wild birds are migrating, and that increases the risk," Giles said. "Throughout the spring and really throughout the year we'll just have be really on guard and keeping our biosecurity practices enforced."
You can listen to the full interview with Giles in the Soundcloud player above, or by clicking this link.
