From silky custards to rich pastas, or even plain omelettes, eggs are everywhere, so it’s impossible not to notice the recent absence of eggs in grocery stores, or, if you’re lucky to snag some, the sky-high prices.
The cause of these mysteries isn’t just rising inflation. Since February 2022, a bird flu has affected tens of thousands of chickens. Also known as avian influenza, this virus is what caused the crash, or rather the crack, in the egg economy.
Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the avian influenza likely was spread to commercial chickens through wild birds with 1,628 outbreaks having been reported across the country as of March 2025. And that’s not just in singular chickens. Those are entire flocks — each made up of at least 20 chickens.
The USDA reported the first cases of this strain of the avian flu in Hawaiʻi on November 18, 2024. So far, it has been limited to small backyard flocks.
Sick chickens can’t be isolated or put in quarantine. To limit the spread of disease, the entire flock must be euthanized. Last month, CBS News reported that 148 million chickens have been put down since the start of the outbreak.
It’s put quite a dent in this specific economy. The remaining chickens become much more valuable — and so do their eggs. In February, the average price for a dozen grade A large eggs had risen to $4.95 in the continental United States, as reported by the Associated Press.
As a resident of Hawaiʻi, you might think, “What!? There’s no way that’s considered expensive.” And youʻd be right. In Hawai’i, our recent survey showed that the prices range from about $6-$11, if you can even find eggs in stock.
The solution to this cost crisis could be right under our noses. Nestled between the art building and its adjacent hill is Kula Kiʻikiʻe’s garden — Ka Hale Uliulimau or Evergreen.
A cacophony of clucks and cheeps floats in the breeze. Its fences lined with tī leaf and the towering greenhouse as its backdrop, Ka Hale Uliulimau is home to plants and animals alike. And in the middle of it all is ʻāina and sustainability Kumu Iwikauikaua Joaquin.
For the past three years, “Kumu Iwikau” has been using his classroom — the ʻāina of Kamehameha Schools Maui — to teach sustainability and Hawaiian farming. He hopes to shift how Hawaiians view food by advocating for food sovereignty and security within the school.
One of the steps in his plan is raising chickens. A small pen to the right of the garden entrance is the home of sixteen hens. Their feathers range from snow white to chocolate brown. There are even a few with a light lavender-grey hue.
After collecting the day’s eggs, albeit with a few loud squawks, Kumu Iwikau presents to me an array of eggs just as diverse as the chickens they come from.
“They’re all pretty much laying right now, so we can get as many as a dozen eggs a day,” he says as the hens scurry freely around the garden.
Interestingly, a couple of them appear to be pecking at the grass. Kumu Iwikaui explains that if the chickens are kept in a controlled area, they will effectively keep the grass trimmed.
Right now, there arenʻt enough eggs to use in food services, so the eggs are being given to staff and students. Kumu Iwikau hopes to increase the amount of birds on campus.
“There are many ways we can use the chickens to help us and incorporate them into our agroforestry,” he said.
For example, free fertilizer can be created for the plants by composting the chickens’ waste.
Not only are chickens helpful for back yards. Several reports show that buying eggs locally is better for the economy. Honolulu Civil Beat reported that 90% of the food eaten in Hawaiʻi is imported. Only ten percent is grown or raised here. If a disaster were to happen, the barges that bring food could potentially stop arriving.
Encouraging consumers to purchase from local poultry farms is one step to get in front of that. Reports from the Office of Planning & Department of Business Economic Development suggest that replacing just 10% of imported food with locally sourced food would amount to a boost to the economy of $313 million that supports local farmers and ranchers.
Chickens and their eggs may be the solution to several problems we face in Hawaiʻi today. In yards and farms, chickens can be a small-scale alternative to using fuel-gobbling lawnmowers and chemical-ridden fertilizers. And in stores, locally grown and raised eggs can help support small Hawaiʻi businesses and the economy.
Maybe the biggest impact of all would be their effects on raising awareness of Hawaiʻi’s food sovereignty issues.
Kumu Iwikau said, “When I think about sustainability, I think about caring. Every day we breathe air, drink water, and we get the benefits of living in this beautiful place. What is it that we’re doing to ensure that we keep it that way for a long period of time? If not for us — for the next generation.”
