Eggs are cleaned and disinfected in January at the Sunrise Farms processing plant in Petaluma, Calif., which had seen an outbreak of avian flu. Terry Chea/AP hide caption
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture says cows in multiple states have tested positive for bird flu. Charlie Litchfield/AP hide caption
Cases of eggs from Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., await to be handed out by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce employees at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson, Miss., on Aug. 7, 2020. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption
In Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the chicken factory is like a creepy Disneyland for chickens. Aardman / Netflix hide caption
The author's daughter, Rosy, with two of the family chickens. Among Rosy's discoveries: "When the sun goes down, they all go up into the coop and go to bed. Nobody has to tell them it's bedtime." Michaeleen Doucleff/NPR hide caption
When she couldn't find the book on chickens she wanted to read, Tove Danovich wrote Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them. Tove Danovich hide caption
Eye-popping egg prices have finally started to fall. Wholesale eggs in the Midwest market dropped by 58 cents to $3.29 a dozen at the end of January, according to USDA data. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
A chicken looks for food with her chicks June 3, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people to refrain from snuggling with backyard poultry, citing concerns about spreading salmonella. Chris O'Meara/AP hide caption
Chicken hatcheries say they're seeing a spike in interest from people wanting to raise the birds at home. A poultry expert says that for the average person keeping half a dozen chickens in the summer, "you would get plenty of eggs for the family." Mike Segar/Reuters hide caption
Many backyard chicken keepers are thinking less about the business of raising chickens and more about collecting them — you just have to have them all — which comes with predictable consequences: too many eggs. Maarigard/Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley Collection hide caption
Costco Builds Nebraska Supply Chain For Its $5 Rotisserie Chickens
Brian Kleinsasser, left, who works in the hog barn at Cool Spring Colony, helps Jake Waldner set up the Hutterite table during a Long Table dinner event at The Resort at Paws Up. Stuart Thurlkill/via Paws Up hide caption
Young chickens hide inside a wooden box, one of the "enrichments" that Perdue is adding to its chicken houses. Dan Charles/NPR hide caption
In what authorities call the largest raid against illegal cockfighting in United States history, 7,000 birds were seized in Val Verde, Calif., on Monday. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department/AP hide caption
A shop owner holds a live chicken for sale in a Hong Kong market. Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Leopold Simmons with his Leghorn, Dove. Luke Runyon/Harvest Public Media hide caption
Perdue will study the effects of features such as perches in chicken houses. It hopes to double the activity levels of its chickens in the next three years. Business Wire hide caption
In Quest For Happier Chickens, Perdue Shifts How Birds Live And Die
When you've got it, flaunt it: Beards can occur in various chicken breeds. The birds in the middle have them; the ones on the far left and right don't. Courtesy of Ying Guo hide caption
Ioanna Mattke holds Raven, one of six hens that her family owns. The Mattkes have raised Raven since she was a day old. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption
A gate blocks the entrance of a farm operated by Daybreak Foods, on May 17, 2015 near Eagle Grove, Iowa. The facility was reportedly struck by the current outbreak of bird flu. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsick says biosecurity measures are crucial to containing the spread of the disease, which has only infected birds, not humans. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
Secretary Of Agriculture: Bird Flu Poses 'No Health Issue' To Humans
Free-range houses allow chickens to move around freely, but operating costs were 23 percent higher than for traditional cages, according to a new study. Dan Charles/NPR hide caption
These "enriched cages" from the JS West farm in Atwater, Calif., in 2011 comply with the state's new law. They are larger and allow chickens to perch and lay eggs in enclosed spaces. Jill Benson/AP hide caption