“Sunny side” up? None currently exists for this current consumer tale of national eggs prices.

Patience is what area agricultural experts are preaching. And if you haven’t built a hen house, don’t. That could turn into a “$1,000 mistake.”

Bird flu has swooped across the nation. In its wake, decimated flocks, high egg prices, frustrated sellers and angry consumers have come to roost.

“This is something that’s not making farmers happy either,” said Mandy Orahood, organization director at Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, which covers Trumbull, Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties.

“This is their livelihood. It’s not something we can just snap our fingers and fix. We just need to be patient.”

In its 30-day outlook released Feb. 28, the United States Department of Agriculture confirmed 110 flocks nationwide had been affected — 59 commercial and 51 backyard. A total of 12.7 million birds were culled during the month.

During the same time in Ohio, 28 commercial and three backyard flocks were infected. A total of 5,727,270 birds had to be destroyed.

One result has seen egg prices jump to a record average of $4.95 per dozen in February, The Associated Press reported.

“The virus moves very quickly through the flocks,” Lee Beers, with the OSU Extension office in Trumbull County, said, adding barns have had to be depopulated. “Egg prices are going to be high for some time.”

Commercial laying houses do not operate in Northeast Ohio, Orahood and Beers said. Orahood said that stores enter into contracts with commercial egg providers, some of which operate in western Pennsylvania.

“We have a lot of small-scale operations,” Beers said.

Once infected and the flock destroyed, the farmer must sanitize the site before repopulating. That’s a significant investment covering money and time.

“This is a devastating time for all Ohio poultry farmers, but especially for those who have faced the catastrophic consequences of bird flu on their farms,” said Jim Chakeres, executive vice president of the Ohio Poultry Association.

“Despite comprehensive biosecurity measures, this strain of (bird flu) is both lethal and aggressive – and it has evaded even the best disease prevention practices.”

Orahood called Ohio the hub of bird migration.

“We’ve got birds from all directions flying across Ohio,” she said. “It’s impossible to keep that from getting on our trucks when we’re hauling in feed or on your shoes when you’re walking in a barn.”

After cleaning procedures, it may take four to six months – depending on the breed – before hens begin to produce.

“You’re starting all over,” Orahood said.

Some egg lovers have looked at backyard chicken coops as a solution. Think really hard about that, Orahood and Beers said.

“I know there is a lot of interest in backyard chicken,” Beers said. “It’s still cheaper to buy from the grocery store.”

By the time a would-be egg farmer is ready for the initial haul, the expenses are considerable.

“People call that first egg the ‘$1,000 egg,'” Beers said. “It is quite expensive to get that first egg.”

Orahood, who raises beef on her family farm, has resisted calls to add egg-laying hens.

“The kids have been begging me to raise chickens for two years,” she said. “It’s not super easy.

“They can get sick. They have issues. And feed prices aren’t cheap. You have to have a plan for the manure.

“You still need to clean them.”