Egg prices finally easing

Egg prices are finally moving in the other direction. After months of sticker shock at grocery stores and breakfast counters, the egg market is cooling as flocks recover from another winter wave of avian influenza, the disease better known as bird flu. In January and February 2026, about 15.5 million birds were affected, but outbreaks slowed in March and supplies have started to rebuild. (fb.org) That shift is already showing up in the numbers consumers and food companies watch most closely. The American Farm Bureau Federation said egg prices have fallen 57% from last year’s highs as production recovers, while Agri-Pulse reported retail prices averaging $2.50 per dozen in February 2026, down from $5.90 a year earlier. (fb.org) (agri-pulse.com) Wholesale prices have dropped even faster than retail prices. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Egg Markets Overview for April 3, 2026 said national truckload prices for graded loose white Large shell eggs fell $0.71 in one week to $0.46 per dozen, while the New York wholesale market for Large cartoned shell eggs delivered to retailers fell to $0.80 per dozen. (ams.usda.gov) The reason is simple: more hens are laying again. The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said February 2026 egg production totaled 8.36 billion eggs, up 5% from a year earlier. Table egg production, the eggs sold for everyday eating, reached 7.17 billion, up 7.5% from February 2025, and the average number of layers rose to 379 million. (nass.usda.gov) Bird flu still has not disappeared, but the damage is smaller than it was a year ago. Agri-Pulse reported that about 20.8 million birds were affected in the first three months of 2026, roughly 45% fewer than in the same period of 2025, and egg-layer losses fell from about 32.8 million birds to 17.6 million. (agri-pulse.com) That matters because egg prices react like airfare during a holiday rush: when supply gets tight fast, prices can spike fast. A laying flock cannot be replaced overnight, so every large outbreak removes production for weeks or months while farmers disinfect barns, restock birds, and wait for new hens to begin laying. (fb.org) (agri-pulse.com) One of the clearest corporate signs that the panic phase is ending came from Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg company in the United States. On April 1, 2026, the company reported fiscal third-quarter net sales of $667.0 million for the quarter ended February 28, down 53.0% from $1.4 billion a year earlier. (markets.businessinsider.com) That is not the kind of sales decline most companies celebrate, but egg producers are unusual during shortage cycles. When egg prices explode because millions of hens are lost, revenue can surge even if the business sells fewer eggs; when the market normalizes, sales can fall sharply even as supply conditions improve for everyone else in the food chain. (markets.businessinsider.com) Cal-Maine’s own breakdown shows exactly where the market cooled. Conventional egg sales fell 72.1% to $283.2 million, driven by 70.1% lower selling prices and 6.7% lower volumes, while specialty egg sales fell only 12.1% to $289.1 million and prepared foods sales jumped 441.2% to $63.6 million. (markets.businessinsider.com) That mix matters for what shoppers see in stores. Conventional eggs usually swing the hardest with disease-driven shortages, while specialty eggs and egg-based prepared foods tend to have steadier pricing and longer-term customer contracts, which can soften the blow when the spot market turns wild. (foodbusinessnews.net) (markets.businessinsider.com) Restaurants and bakeries are watching the same trend for a different reason. Eggs are a basic ingredient in everything from omelets to sandwich buns to cake batter, so a drop from crisis pricing can slowly ease pressure on menu prices and margins, even if retail cartons do not immediately reflect every wholesale move. (ams.usda.gov) (agri-pulse.com) Consumers should not expect a perfectly smooth ride from here. Spring migration still raises the risk that wild birds spread new infections into poultry flocks, and the Farm Bureau said the United States Department of Agriculture is urging producers to tighten biosecurity as that seasonal risk builds. (fb.org) But as of Wednesday, April 8, 2026, the direction is clear: more production, fewer affected birds than last year, lower wholesale prices, and a major egg company reporting that the once-extreme pricing environment is fading. After a long stretch when eggs behaved like a luxury item, they are starting to look like groceries again. (nass.usda.gov) (agri-pulse.com) (markets.businessinsider.com)