6 Facts: What We Never Knew About Bird Flu

You might not be able to order duck at your favorite restaurant.

Sadly, because of avian Influenza (bird flu), the last commercial duck farm on Long Island might close. Founded in 1908, Crescent Duck Farm was the home of almost 100,000 birds.

Subject to “depopulating, cleaning and disinfection activities,” the Long Island farm was typical of many across the U.S. and beyond.

6 Facts: Avian Influenza

1. Avian Influenza in the United States.

The USDA confirmed reports of avian influenza in commercial and backyard flocks. In addition, they’ve cited infected wild birds, mammals, and livestock. Hard to imagine, the map represents the 125 million birds that have been infected since 2022 when it all began:

2. Because fewer chickens mean fewer eggs, egg prices continue to rise to new highs:

Axios predicts eggs in the Southeast and South Central could go up beyond $7 a dozen.

3. Some markets report shortages.

Walmart said supply is tight in some areas but they have not constrained purchases. Similarly, a King Kullen supermarket in Long Island NY told customers an egg shelf was empty because, “as a part of Avian Influenza, select egg varieties may be temporarily out of stock.” The Publix chain, mostly in the South, also reported shortages.

2. It’s not just local.

108 countries have reported outbreaks of avian flu.

3. Responding, egg farmers have to cull flocks.

Because of avian flu, more than 20 million chickens died during the last quarter of 2024.

4. Each person in US eats approximately 296 eggs a year.

Since each hen lays 300 eggs a year and each of us eats almost 300 eggs a year, do we need a chicken for every person in the U.S.?

But it’s not quite that simple since there are different kinds of egg laying chickens. The USDA tells us that while there were 379 million egg layers, just 312 million produced table or market-type eggs.

5. Further hiking prices, states including Massachusetts, California, Utah and Colorado have mandated cage free hens.

In Colorado, for example, producers with more than 3,000 hens must comply while retailers selling more than 750 eggs a week have to stock them. A Colorado egg farmer said the cage free requirement would nudge his costs up by 30%.

6. It is not so easy for Crescent Duck Farm to restock.

According to the NY Times, the last Long Island duck from Crescent could become a sad memory. Only after a 2-to 3-month clean-up process might they have the government’s permission to restock. The owner said, “My customers are people who use multiple ducks a night — chefs who use duck after duck after duck.” Consequently, he has to be sure that the genetic strain of a new flock recreated his “optimal meat to fat ratio.”

My sources and more: Thanks to a Bloomberg radio report for inspiring today’s post. From there,  USA Today.  had the map, the USDA had chicken statistics, and NPR Illinois had more on eggs. Then this Colorado website told about their cage free law and Axios had the up-to-date facts.