Colorado law will require cage-free egg production

As Colorado's egg farmers deal with an 85% loss of egg-laying hens as a result of bird flu, there's an upcoming change to state law that could further impact their bottom line. 

A law passed in 2020, mandating cage-free egg production, will take effect Jan. 1, 2023. 

"We're going to step one which is a larger environment for our hens right now," said Bill Scebbi with Colorado Egg Producers. He says farmers will have to provide each hen with one square foot of space starting in 2023, then go fully cage-free by 2025. 

"It is a big move for us to go totally cage-free," Scebbi said. 

A cage-free environment is one that allows hens to roam unrestricted and exhibit natural behaviors. The change will force farmers to reconstruct hen houses and change operations. 

"That comes with millions of dollars of construction and rebuilding and reorganizing their production," Scebbi said. 

Even after the restructuring, cage-free production itself costs farmers more, and inflation doesn't help. 

"The cost of feed has gone up, the cost of transportation has gone up, the cost associated with personell has gone up... so that is also very reflective with the cost of eggs," Scebbi said. 

Scebbi says the cost will likely translate to consumers at the checkout. 

It comes at a time when egg prices are already up 20%, due to the nation's worst bird flu outbreak in history. 

"It's an emotional drain as well as a financial drain," Scebbi said. 

Many Colorado farmers are starting from scratch after losing their entire flock. 

"They had to depopulate their farms, and then they had to completely clean and sanitize their farms, and now they're in the repopulation process," Scebbi said. 

Scebbi estimates it could take through spring for Colorado egg producers to recuperate the loss of their hen populations due to the bird flu. This means consumers could be dealing with higher egg prices until then.