CORVALLIS, Ore. — Highly pathogenic avian influenza resulted in the death of 13.2 million table egg laying birds in December, followed by another 21.1 million birds in 2025 so far, according to a Feb. 7 USDA report.

A shortage of eggs has sent prices surging to $8, $9 or even $10 per dozen at West Coast stores.

Many small producers haven’t raised prices, however, so eggs at farmers markets and farm stands can be less expensive than supermarkets.

Dawn Gonzales shopped at the Corvallis Winter Market and said she was willing to pay extra for free-range eggs. Now she doesn’t have to.

“I’m getting a better quality egg than I can get at the grocery store and they’re cheaper,” Gonzales said.

Cost of production unchanged

Farmers at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Corvallis, who charged $6 to $8 per dozen on a recent Saturday, said their egg prices are tied to feed and other costs of production, not supply and demand.

“I don’t want to gouge people just because egg prices are high,” said Suzanne Smith, owner of Krazy Woman Ranch, as shoppers came to her booth at the Corvallis Winter Market on Feb. 1.

Lynne Miller of Slippery G Family Farm near Monroe, Ore., said reasonable prices were best for business.

“I want the customer that’s going to come back every week to get eggs. It’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” she said.

Miller expects more people looking for egg deals at farmers markets.

Morgan Patterson of Morganics near Junction City, Ore., has already seen a traffic increase.

“I’ve had people bulk ordering,” she added.

Patterson added farmers’ costs would change if they had to depopulate a flock.

“Since we haven’t been affected by bird flu, and cross our fingers we won’t be, our inputs haven’t changed,” she said.

Up in Washington

Paul Puhek of S&P Homestead Farm in Otis Orchards, Wash., wasn’t sure what to do with egg prices.

“We have been at $7 for the last two years. We were always higher than the supermarket prices. Now we are a bit less,” he said, in an email.

Puhek may raise prices by 50 cents or $1 because he doesn’t want farm fresh products selling for less than supermarket eggs. He also hasn’t calculated his production cost lately and everything seems to have increased

Colleen Donovan, Washington State Farmers Market Association executive director, said the going rate for eggs in Washington farm booths and stands also was determined by feed and other inputs.

Donovan added in an email that some farmers are worried that with the egg shortage, more individuals will try to purchase chicks this year, which may drive their prices up for the foreseeable future.

Increased food costs

Rebecca Thistletwaite of the Oregon State University Extension Service in Hood River, said she’s seen small farms keeping prices the same and others exploiting the shortage.

“Some of them probably should have raised prices a long time ago, because food prices have gone up,” added Thisteltwaite, a former egg producer.