US egg prices drop as flock recovery continues following Avian Influenza losses
USDA lowered production growth expectations after a decline in hatching flock inventories.
USA – The average retail price of a dozen eggs in the United States declined to US$2.25 in April 2026, down from US$2.35 in March and 62% lower than the level recorded during the same month last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) May 2026 Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook.
The decline in prices came as table egg production continued to increase, with March output reaching 659.4 million dozen eggs, representing a 5.6% rise compared with March 2025.
Production growth was largely attributed to a 6.1% increase in the average number of laying hens, although the lay rate slipped to 82.3 eggs per 100 layers per day, down 0.5% from a year earlier.
Consequently, total table egg production during the first quarter of 2026 reached 1.912 billion dozen eggs, marking a 4.2% increase from the corresponding period in 2025.
The expansion follows industry efforts to rebuild flocks after highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks resulted in the loss of 151.2 million birds between February 2022 and April 2026.
Layer inventories remained above year-earlier levels throughout the first four months of 2026, while the egg-type hatching flock responsible for supplying replacement hens had been growing steadily since July 2025.
However, recent data from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service showed that the inventory of egg-type hatching layers fell to 4.079 million birds on April 1, a decline of 765,000 birds from the previous month.
Following that development, the USDA reduced its production forecasts for the remainder of the year, reflecting expectations of slower flock expansion.
The agency now projects second-quarter production at 1.94 billion dozen eggs, third-quarter production at 1.975 billion dozen eggs, and fourth-quarter production at 2 billion dozen eggs.
As a result, total US table egg production for 2026 is forecast at 7.827 billion dozen eggs, representing growth of 4.4% from 2025 but remaining below the 5.4% increase projected a month earlier.
Looking ahead, USDA expects production to reach 8.02 billion dozen eggs in 2027, representing a further 2.5% increase from the revised 2026 forecast.
Meanwhile, wholesale egg prices continued to decline, with New York prices for a dozen large eggs averaging 68.1 cents in April, down 87 cents from March and 306 cents lower than the April 2025 level.
The USDA reduced its projected average wholesale price for the second quarter to 65 cents per dozen and lowered its third-quarter estimate to 80 cents per dozen, while maintaining its fourth-quarter forecast at US$1.20 per dozen.
Based on the revised outlook, the agency expects the average wholesale price for 2026 to reach 97.6 cents per dozen, then increase to US$1.10 per dozen in 2027.
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