The number of cases of bird flu in the state has hit 60.The state Ag Department announced four more probable cases Tuesday, three in Sioux County and one in Buena Vista County.
The Buena Vista County case involves 24-thousand turkeys, and is the 16th case there. One of the cases in Sioux County includes an estimated 150-thousand laying hens, while another facility contains an estimated 100-thousand pullets, which are the birds that grow into laying hens. The third new case in Sioux County involves 15 chickens in a backyard flock. It is the 17th case in the county.
The total number of chickens likely infected with the avian influenza is around 24-point-nine million, while the number of turkeys is now just over 990-thousand.
Egg prices have surged higher as the death of millions of hens from bird flu is beginning to tighten supplies.
The Midwest price of a dozen large eggs rose to $1.88. That’s 58 percent higher than they were a month ago when the bird flu first hit Iowa chicken farms.
Prices have been climbing at a rate of about 5 percent a day for the past week as supplies become tighter.
Rick Brown, an egg industry analyst with commodity market firm Urner Barry, says it’s because 10 percent of chickens that lay eggs for food are dead or dying from bird flu.
Eggs used principally as an ingredient in ice cream, mayonnaise and other products are up even more, about 162 percent to $1.65 a dozen since April 22.
