In bird flu fight, Agriculture Department almost doubling the $1.1 billion already spent

Despite a major federal investment to help egg and poultry producers bounce back from bird flu losses, finding eggs at a reasonable price — or any eggs at all — remains a tough task for shoppers across the U.S.

In January, egg prices rose 15.2%, and economists say they expect prices to continue to rise this year. 

The increase is due to the limited number of hens laying eggs right now. There are fewer hens because of federal bird flu control measures. They require farmers to kill their chickens if they discover a bird flu case in a flock — a process known as "culling" — to try to prevent the viral disease from spreading.