Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024
Did Colorado’s cage-free law cause an egg shortage?
While Colorado's cage-free law may be worsening the shortage, other more prominent factors caused it.
Some eastern state hatcheries, where many of Colorado’s birds are sourced, flooded in the spring, according to cage-free chicken farmer Cyrus Koehn, who noted that the shortage is helping his business some.
Additionally, a bird flu outbreak in July resulted in the culling of almost 1.8 million chickens in Weld County in July and tens of millions more nationwide.
A hot summer and warmer-than-average fall further hampered chicken productivity, as heat stress causes hens to lay fewer eggs.
Bill Scebbi, executive director of Colorado Egg Producers, which represents five large commercial egg farms in Colorado, stated the law is “absolutely not” to blame, pointing instead to the avian flu.
The law, originally passed in 2020, will take full effect Jan. 1.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Cowboy State Daily Eggs Harder to Come By in Colorado, Some Blame New Cage-Free Law
- The Colorado Sun Nearly 1.8 million chickens will be culled in the latest bird flu outbreak at a Colorado poultry farm
- Denver7 Noticed empty egg shelves in Colorado grocery stores? You’re not alone
- National Library of Medicine Effects of Heat Stress on the Laying Performance, Egg Quality, and Physiological Response of Laying Hens
- 9News Experts say not to worry about egg shortages
- Colorado Department of Agriculture All Eggs Sold in Colorado Starting in 2025 Will Be Cage Free
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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