Eggs - Lemmy.World

I heard they jacked up prices due to the Avian Flu. They culled over 80,000,000 egg laying hens

This is very relevant.

Weber’s company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens — 550,000 birds — to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in Sonoma County

During the past two months, nearly a dozen commercial farms have had to destroy more than 1 million birds to control the outbreak (as of 27 Jan 24)

the current outbreak of the virus that began in early 2022 has prompted officials to slaughter nearly 82 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens, in 47 U.S. states

In California, the outbreak has impacted more than 7 million chickens in about 40 commercial flocks and 24 backyard flocks

apnews.com/…/avian-flu-chicken-outbreak-californi…

Avian flu is devastating poultry farms, egg production in California

A year after the bird flu led to record egg prices and widespread shortages, the disease known as highly pathogenic avian influenza is wreaking havoc on California poultry farms. The state had escaped the earlier wave of outbreaks that devastated egg producers in the Midwest. Experts say the latest outbreaks are being fueled by ducks, geese and other migratory birds that spend the winter in California. The waterfowl are being infected by the highly contagious virus and spreading it to poultry farms and backyard chicken flocks. California farms are under strict quarantine to curb the outbreak until the migratory birds return north in the spring.

AP News
The numbers are insane. Over a million chickens
That’s just in Sonoma County, between Dec '23 and Jan '24.
Some (at least) were killed brutally. Gassed in the hen houses, panicking as they died, trying to peck their way out. Poor birds.
I don’t advise you to look up what they do when they find out a chick is a male.