Consumers can expect fluctuating egg prices for a while.
Amy Barkley, a livestock and farm specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension, said that's because U.S. egg farms will need time to replenish the number of egg-laying hens that were euthanized due to avian flu.
The most recent outbreak of the virus was late last year.
"And so we're kind of playing this game right now," Barkley said, "where as birds are depopulated, if there's a critical population shortage, there's a critical egg shortage, and therefore we see the prices of eggs go up."
Barkley said it take about six months to replace that population.
"Once those birds come back into production in those houses that were affected, the prices are going to start to come down and give us some relief," she said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, egg prices were up by 28% over the past year.
