Needham’s backyard chicken owners may not have to worry about the price of eggs — but they are concerned about the health of their birds. This week the town Public Health Division is sending them information about the current outbreak of Avian influenza, or bird flu, as a reminder to be on alert for the disease.
There have been no cases reported in Needham and the H5N1 virus, which causes bird flu, poses little risk to humans. But it has led to the deaths of more than 160 million chickens nationwide in the past three years, resulting in egg shortages and higher egg prices. The disease is largely spread by wild birds, particularly waterfowl such as ducks and geese.
Elisabeth Boutin is one of a dozen Needham residents who keeps chickens, and she has for 11 years at her property on Laurel Drive. The birds are required to be fenced, but when the deadly flu strain appeared in 2022 she took additional steps.
“I built a bigger cage and then I had a cover on that cage, like a roof. Just so they don’t get the poop from other birds, especially the hawks,” she said. “Those birds can carry Avian flu so I am worried about that. I am always looking out for ducks and geese.”
Boutin said she is following the news and has the right cleaning protocol in place for her flock. “They’re very healthy. I actually feel safer because I have better quality control than the stores.
“And,” she adds, “the eggs taste a million times better than anything you can get in the grocery store.”
Nick King keeps chickens as well as goats at his home on South Street. “The downside is that if you have chickens, of course you worry about the bird flu,” said King. “The upside is you have eggs — and therefore a lot of friends!”
The current price of a dozen large eggs at Roche Brothers is $6.99, and stores in Needham are limiting customers to purchasing only two dozen at a time.
Egg prices are no small concern at Fresco restaurant on Chapel Street, where breakfast is the main business and owner Tony Muraku may serve 900 eggs in a day. He said his cost for eggs has increased nearly three-fold.
“We have our relations with our providers so they try to accommodate us,” he said, “but the price still has gone up. We used to pay $30 a case and now we pay $80 a case. A case is 15 dozen eggs. We go through four or five cases a day.”
Muraku said so far he is absorbing the cost because he doesn’t want to pass it on to his customers. “It would be ridiculous to charge somebody $20 or $30 for an omelet. I don’t want to lose our customers. So we’re just taking a lot of that hit, but hopefully it will come down soon.”
He said he’s also facing a doubling of the price of coffee and an increase in the price of orange juice resulting from climate effects on the crops. “It’s not a good time to own a breakfast place.”
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