DODGE COUNTY, Neb (KMTV) — High food prices have been hot topics for a while but few foods have seen the explosion in prices that eggs have.
In 2024 alone the price of eggs jumped 28.1% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Much of that jump has been attributed to an ongoing avian influenza outbreak that began in 2022 and has so far caused the deaths of more than 100 million chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese.
“We have seen ongoing since 2022, its something that we see regularly and we do want people to be aware of what they can do to prevent the disease,” said Roger Dudley, Nebraska’s State Veterinarian
Unfortunately it appears that the outbreak is continuing in Nebraska.
A new release from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture is warning of two outbreaks, one at a commercial operation in Nemaha county and another in a backyard operation in Dodge County.
This is the state’s first outbreak since February but Dudley says it isn’t unusual for this time of year.
“We almost always have this migration period where we have increased threats to poultry and that type of thing,” said Dudley.
Those migrating wild waterfowl are the primary vectors of the disease, especially for backyard operations like the one affected in Dodge County.
Dudley says reducing exposure to those wild fowls is critical to protecting your flock.
“Certainly you don’t want to bring it home. You can bring it home on your shoes if you stepped into goose poop somewhere. But also direct introduction from wild waterfowl can happen,” said Dudley.
There are other steps you can take to keep your flock safe, and Dudley says you can make a big difference just by paying attention to what you are wearing.
“Everything from changing clothes before you go out to work with your birds after you have been around other places, especially other birds. Wearing disposable gloves, those types of things to prevent the spread of the virus.
If you are experiencing a large number of birds in your flock die off in a short period of time you should report that to the Department of Agriculture as soon as possible. It can be reported to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 402-471-2351 or the US Department of Agriculture at 866-536-7593.
