Months of bird flu-driven surges in eggs prices have prompted Hawaiʻi’s largest poultry operation to expand, a move its manager hopes will better satisfy local demand and insulate the state from the turbulence of the mainland egg market.

Waialua Fresh Eggs is building four new barns at its Central Oʻahu farm, which will add 120,000 hens to the farm’s flock of 400,000. Those hens will lay an egg a day, to help supply about one-third of Hawaiʻi’s daily egg demands. 

The move comes in the wake of national upheaval in the egg industry, driven by avian influenza, which led to bare grocery store shelves in Hawaiʻi and egg prices reaching record highs on the mainland. Those price hikes made Hawaiʻi-laid eggs more price competitive in local grocery stores.

The mainland supply is now recovering, helping lower prices while widening the gap with the typically more expensive local eggs. But the drop in average national egg prices is expected to slow, as seasonal demand for eggs raises prices across the board.

Though Hawaiʻi has detected H5N1 Avian Influenza — commonly known as bird flu — in some flocks, the number of cases have been minimal here and it has not been detected in commercial egg-laying flocks. 

So the local expansion is about helping ensure local consumers aren’t “using Hawaiian dollars to pay for mainland problems,” Waialua Fresh farm manager Avery Barry said. “Our pricing isn’t tied to that market, it’s tied to our cost of operations.”

The four new barns represent about a $16 million investment for the farm, which is jointly owned by mainland corporations Hidden Villa and Rose Acres Farms. One of the four barns will be dedicated to raising laying hens, which typically need about 19 weeks to reach a desirable laying ability. 

The pullet barn will help stabilize the farm’s supply of larger eggs, which are the most in demand, Barry said. 

Eggs are currently the sixth most valuable agricultural commodity in Hawaiʻi, worth about $32.5 million in 2023, after years of reliance on mainland supplies. After Waialua Egg Farm opened in 2021, the local industry’s value almost tripled. 

And the farm plans to continue expanding so the operation can lower its prices and meet demand for local consumers, Barry said, which would mean one bird per resident — about 1.5 million birds. 

“One chicken per person … that’s generally the rule of thumb,” Barry said. 

Prices Spiked, Then Fell

Egg prices hit a record high in March after tens of millions of birds were exterminated over the course of 2024, as flocks of laying hens were infected with the flu.

A dozen mainland eggs fetched an average of $9.46 in Hawaiʻi. At the time, local eggs were just four cents more but often more consistently available. 

Waialua Fresh not only felt the pressure to supply more eggs, Barry said, it realized there was room to grow.

“It helped us realize we do need to expand,” Barry said.

Now, the average national price sits at $3.78 per dozen. They are, of course, more expensive in Hawaiʻi — in May, the average mainland dozen fetched $7.78 here. 

Still, the shrinking price tag for mainland eggs may be short-lived as both the bird flu and end-of-year holidays approach, with the pinch beginning in October.

“It’s basically the holiday season,” said Matthew Loke, administrator of the state’s Agricultural Development Division. “There will be more cakes and cookies and stuff like that. I wouldn’t say it’s substantial but there’s a general trend up, then it goes down at the beginning of the year.”

The Worst May Not Be Over

The Trump Administration has both blamed the previous administration for the outbreak’s severity and claimed victory for the recovery thus far. But experts are warning that more cases may be on the horizon, especially as migratory birds start crossing the Pacific flyway, which spans from Alaska to the southern-most tip of South America, Patagonia.

Whether that will involve Hawaiʻi or not is anyone’s guess.

​Hawaiʻi confirmed its first bird flu cases late last year, detecting the flu in wastewater and domestic flocks, after years of insulation from the mainland’s woes. The state has since tested between 15-25 sick and dead birds a month, with none testing positive for the virus, state veterinarian Isaac Maeda said. The state has also been testing wastewater.

Bird flu has never been detected in commercial poultry flocks in Hawaiʻi. But, Maeda said, there is still cause for concern.

Hawaiʻi sits on the fringe of the Pacific flyway, as well as other regional flyways, which means ducks, geese and other species may introduce the virus to the state while migrating.

The culprit for last year’s detection has not been found, though it was initially believed to come from a hybrid species of mallard duck and koloa, the Hawaiian duck.

Waste Not

Waialua Fresh Eggs has also received sign-off from the state Department of Health to sell compost made with the hundreds of thousands of pounds of manure produced by its chickens annually.

Chicken manure is rich in nitrogen, among other key nutrients, making it a prized commodity among farmers and ranchers alike. But so far most of Hawaiʻi’s supply has come from the mainland — about 500 tons per year, according to Barry.

Waialua Fresh’s chicken waste has caused tension in recent years, with critics calling for greater oversight of the operation’s waste management after the health department found the farm was stockpiling manure in an empty barn. The stockpiling had followed a failed venture to create biochar, a charcoal-like substance used like fertilizer.

The new product was tested by the University of Hawaiʻi at the request of the agricultural department, which was concerned it could help spread coconut rhinoceros beetle. The manure was found instead to be a beetle killer.

The farm has begun selling it in Lowe’s and Home Depot, but has also been supplying industrial quantities to farming and landscaping operations statewide.

“It’s a secondary stream that also becomes a benefit,” Barry said. “It’s kind of a win-win situation.”

“Hawai‘i Grown” is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation, Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.