Large line of cars waiting for eggs spotted in Chino amid nationwide shortage​on February 9, 2025 at 11:06 pm

CHINO, Calif. (KABC) — We’ve seen it happen before and it’s happening again.

People have been seen lining up bright and early at Billy’s Egg Farm and drive-thru store in Chino to buy fresh eggs.

Video shared with Eyewitness News on Saturday showed the long stretch of cars, all waiting to get a fresh batch. Many said they started lining up at 7 a.m. and spent about an hour in line. The farm ran out of eggs by 11 a.m.

This comes as egg prices are skyrocketing due to bird flu ravaging America’s poultry farms.

Tens of millions of birds have been slaughtered nationwide, including some in Los Angeles County.

While the crisis is impacting eggs, so far it has not affected poultry prices. The difference has to do with how the hens and meat chickens are raised and housed.

Hen complexes typically have more than a million birds on-site while broiler facilities have around 10,000. Hens take about nine months to start having eggs, but broiler chickens are harvested within 30 to 60 days.

Farmers say the combination of more hens spending a longer time in the farms makes it easier for bird flu to spread.