I was shocked when I looked at the price of a dozen eggs I bought recently, after I got home. They cost $7.

If I had checked the price in the store, I might not have bought them, even though eggs are one of my favorite foods.

Then I heard about the bird flu epidemic. A story elsewhere in this edition sheds a little light on the problem.

Cara Gerken of Cashion, who has been affiliated with “Where Food Comes From,” an independent verification program for food producers, mentioned the disease, which has caused the sharp rise in egg prices, in a talk to the Kingfisher Lions Club.

Gerken has been with the company for 25 years and does independent inspections of numerous food producing operations to verify that appropriate health practices are observed.

The Journal Record in Oklahoma City ran a story on the bird flu problem, writing that Federal Reserve Economic Data indicates that in U.S. cities, the average price of large, grade A white eggs more than doubled from $1.79 a dozen in December 2021 to $4.25 in December 2022.

“The line chart for prices almost went straight up in 2022,” OSU Extension food specialist Rodney Holcomb said, and prices will remain high for months to come.

Producers have battled a bird flu outbreak that began in early 2022 as well as soaring feed and transportation costs, said Holcomb.

Until then, demand is even higher than usual because every food category has been hard-hit by inflation, Holcomb said. Going back decades, eggs have been the low-cost animal protein choice over beef, chicken and pork. “As everything else got pricey, more people are eating more eggs,” he said.

Whether wholesale prices bounce back up next week or continue easing down, retail prices will be slower to decline, he said.

Wholesale customers like bakeries, restaurant chains and ice cream manufacturers buy in bulk and contract well ahead, Holcomb said. They don’t care what color or size the eggs are.

The shortage is being felt at the retail level, or the “loose egg market,” where all the eggs are sorted by grade, size and color before they are packaged for store shelves.

On a year-over-year basis, between December 2021 and December 2022, prices for food at home increased 11.4% overall, while prices for meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased 8.6%.

Within the grocery sector, the report shows consumers with an annual household income below $40,000 have reduced purchased quantities by 7.9% relative to a year ago, middle-income consumers have reduced purchased quantities by 10.5%, and consumers with an annual household income above $80,000 have reduced purchased quantities by 1.3%.

I don’t recall hearing anything about avian flu (until now).

That’s easy to explain; I’m the last to hear about most things.

I’m not sure what I’m going to substitute for my normal scrambled egg lunch– at least until the hens regain their health.

Oklahoma State Extension suggests biosecurity to prevent avian influenza, writing: The USDA has confirmed cases of HPAI in Missouri and Kansas, and the states’ close proximity to Oklahoma has animal health officials on alert. The spread of HPAI from birds to other species, including humans, is rare and results from extensive direct contact. Barry Whitworth, DVM, OSU Extension southeast area food and animal quality health specialist, said although the virus has been detected in all four bird migratory flight zones, HPAI can still be prevented with strong biosecurity measures.

“With past outbreaks, a breakdown in biosecurity was one of the main reasons the virus spread from one operation to another,” Whitworth said. “If farms and backyard poultry owners stick to biosecurity protocol, it should reduce their chances of having issues with avian influenza.”

Flu respiratory symptoms in birds could include coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, discharge from nasal passages or even neurological signs, such as the inability to walk or a head tilt. Whitworth said the most obvious signal is the rapid increase of birds getting sick or dying in a short amount of time. Unexplained sudden deaths should be reported immediately.

“Call somebody, whether it’s your local veterinarian, your county Extension office or ODAFF,” he said. “Vets and Extension educators are going to notify ODAFF as quickly as possible.”

If the state veterinarian receives a call about a sick bird or birds, a disease investigation will be initiated at no cost to the poultry owner.

“A response to the problem will depend on the findings of the investigation.” Whitworth said. “One backyard poultry operation in the panhandle would be handled differently than a commercial farm in Ottawa or Adair County.”

OSU Extension offers these tips on how to prevent the virus in chicken flocks:

• Restrict visitor access to birds

• Prevent contact with wild birds (especially waterfowl) • Refrain from visiting other poultry operation locations

• Set aside clothing and footwear to wear only when working with birds

• Disinfect footwear before entering a barn or coop

•Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling birds

• Reduce availability of food, water and any potential nesting areas for wild birds

•Fix holes in roofs, screens and walls of poultry barns or coops

• Do not share equipment with other bird owners

• Birds that have been near other poultry should be quarantined from the rest of the flock for at least 14 days

A ‘Happy’ Ending

Thanks to Tiffany Tillman, Hennessey town clerk, for helping me recover my grandson’s favorite birddog, Happy.

Somehow, the dog got to Hennessey and was picked up and impounded.

My grandson learned from a friend that his dog had been found and mentioned it to me.

I called Tiffany and she made inquiries, telling me last week that Happy was ready to come home.

I’m not sure who was happier to see the other, Happy or my grandson.

Another happy sidelight – Happy was healthy and looked fatter than when he went missing.

He might have thought he had been on vacation.

Thanks for the good care.