Why Are Egg Prices So High and When Will the Price Go Down?

Prices at the grocery store are up across the board. But lately, the cost of one staple really stands out: Egg prices are soaring.

An NBC 5 viewer shared receipts showing the price of a dozen eggs more than doubled from $3.21 on Dec. 20 to $6.52 on Jan. 2.

The spike has some exploring the idea of raising backyard chickens.

When backyard chickens became legal in Farmers Branch, Sally Derrick was among the first to build a coop.

“Five years later and we still have chickens, and we are appreciating the eggs that we are getting from the chickens and it's a fun hobby to have,” said Derrick.

On average, she said her three chickens produce about a dozen eggs per week. She said she usually spends more money taking care of them than she saves by not having to buy eggs from the store, but not anymore.

“It’s definitely a cost-savings now where previously it had been the reverse and it was costing you more just to have the backyard chickens,” said Derrick.

According to USDA data, the price of a dozen eggs more than doubled in November 2022 compared to November 2021 from $1.79 to $3.59, and prices have soared even more since then.

“There's a pretty simple reason for that, and it’s high pathogenic avian influenza, bird flu,” said David Anderson, a professor and extension economist for Texas A&M University in College Station.

Anderson said the spread of avian flu nationwide has caused a sharp loss of egg-laying chickens.

“It’s cut production and that leads to higher prices,” he explained, adding that consumers should not expect a break anytime soon.

“I do expect prices to go up for eggs,” said Anderson. “We're getting close to Easter already and there's this holiday-driven demand for Easter eggs, and we typically would see higher prices for eggs in March and April because of Easter egg hunts.”

Anderson said prices will drop when production increases, possibly in the second half of 2023.