Why are eggs so hard to find in Colorado lately?

Egg prices have been getting crazy high, so you’d think that would mean more eggs, right? Wrong… In fact they’ve been extremely hard to find in Colorado lately. Why?

I do my grocery shopping on the weekends, and for the last two weeks, two different stores, not an egg in sight…

There are multiple factors behind the shortage. King Soopers released a statement saying it is transitioning to cage-free eggs by Jan. 1, 2025. “We are beginning the transition now to help avoid disruption to the supply chain for our customers during the holiday season,” the statement reads.

But stores like Whole Foods have been cage-free for at least five years. So why can’t you find any there either?

Well, chickens don’t like the heat. Sources tell Denver7 that lower production due to a hot summer and warmer-than-average fall is making it tough to meet the high demand.

Additionally, more expensive packaging, fuel and feed can trickle down to egg costs. But the outbreak of bird flu across the country, including Colorado, is also probably driving the shortages.

This summer, Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency after more than 1.78 million chickens had to be killed in Weld County. Nationwide, producers have not recovered from the outbreak.

There’s no word on when they’ll recover and eggs will again become readily available, and maybe more importantly, when they’ll become affordable again!