True, Canada has much less of a problem with it, supposedly because their egg farms are much smaller.
As far as killing all the birds, for what it’s worth, I read that avian flu is so deadly it will race through one of those caged chicken barns in a couple days anyway and kill 99% of the birds. They claim it is more humane to kill them than let them die of flu, although I’ve also read they kill them by raising the temperature in the barns so they die of heat stroke, so it sounds kind of bad either way at least for the chickens. USDA does compensate farmers for the killed birds and the cost of killing and disposing of them though a program called indemnity and compensation. This has been true for a long time. I guess we could ask, if this program didn’t exist, would farmers be more willing to take preventative measures like closing the buildings and installing ventilation with hepafilters, or vaccinating the hens? I notice on the USDA website, they compensate for killing the birds (“depopulation”) but not if they die from flu, so if you’re a farmer, your choice is pretty clear. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-poultry/indemnity-compensation But I found this, if it’s actually in effect now, they appear to be requiring a biosecurity plan before they restock the farm with new chickens, or they won’t cover it next time. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/31/2024-31384/payment-of-indemnity-and-compensation-for-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Steve Jones Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 12:36 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] the customer sieve yean, canada and mexico dont have the avian flue problem, so we probably just switch to french birds or taco cluckers. or crazy thought, quit killing them all like they chose. 5 month recovery On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 12:18 PM Ken Hohhof <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Egg prices are at the mercy of avian flu, unless/until something changes like hepafilters on the chicken barns or vaccinating the hens. Wild birds poop on the fields and wind blows the infected dust into the barns. This data doesn’t reflect April yet: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000708111 Retail egg prices have also been somewhat artificial because grocery stores use eggs as a loss leader to bring people into the stores. That has maybe ended as stores ended up paying $8 wholesale and selling for $3 retail. So in the future, eggs may be priced more like gasoline, based on their most recent shipment, then either mark them up or sell them at cost. I did see a lot of stores though stocking up on eggs for Easter and running sales, like $3.99 plus a $1 digital coupon for a net of $2.99. They might have been using them as a loss leader for the holiday, stuff like ham and lamb was also on sale. I’m speculating March may be a bad time for avian flu because the fields are bare of crops and snow, migrating waterfowl have been pooping on them all winter, and if it doesn’t rain the wind will blow infected dust at the chicken barns. If the fields weren’t plowed and fertilized after harvest in fall, that may be going on in spring, stirring up the soil with the infected bird poop. From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf Of Adam Moffett Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 8:15 AM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] the customer sieve Well, that's good news. I honestly hadn't bought eggs in the past month so I hadn't noticed the change. I wonder: Is the change because demand dropped to match supply? Or is March-April the time when chicks mature enough to lay eggs? Sorry, I don't know chickin stuff. _____ From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > on behalf of Chuck <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 12:51 AM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] the customer sieve Huh? https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/eggs-us Sent from my iPhone On Apr 19, 2025, at 10:47 PM, Dev <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: It’s reassuring to know that those handling your food are high as a kite and the walls around them might dissolve into a rainbow any minute, they’ll be sure to pay attention to health standards. The whole economy seems to have entered a parallel universe land, where any day we might snap back to reality. I think people are just holding on for the shock, trying not to spend too much if at all possible. Because eggs require financing options, etc. On Apr 19, 2025, at 12:59 PM, Ken Hohhof <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: It’s tax return time and traditionally some people who are past due would catch up when they got their refund. I fear this year may be the opposite. Actually, I look at all the Internet options some people have (not even including government subsidized fiber) and wonder if we small ISPs get the ones who can’t go with a bigger company because of their poor credit and payment history situation. Nobody else will take them? I am reminded of a conversation I once had, wondering why some people work at really crappy fast food places when there are other ones with much nicer work environments. I was told they can probably only get hired at places that don’t drug test. 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