An outbreak of bird flu in the Midwest is now threatening to add to the price increases at the supermarket.

Whether you want to grill up some wings or raise baby chicks in your backyard, you're going to pay more.  

“From a year ago to now, we've seen various price increases - and all the chickens certain items go up more than others,” says Christian Nevers, with the New Egypt Marketplace.

Blame the supply chain, inflation, demand and now a decimating outbreak of bird flu resulting in millions of chickens lost.

“It seems not everything is immediate, but I would imagine we see some effect from things like that happening and the supply chain hitting us maybe a month, two months from now,” says Nevers.

Across town at Animals and Gardens Unlimited, a fresh batch of chicks arrived this week for backyard hobbyists, where the cost of just about everything chicken related is up 30% 

Commercial chicken farms in New Jersey are certainly not as popular as in neighboring states, such as Delaware and Pennsylvania. In New Egypt, they sold more than 9,000 of the baby chickens in the year 2021. 

Wings have increased the most, up nearly 100% over a year ago. Legs and thighs are also up but much less. The people at the garden center and the supermarket are keeping a close eye on the bird flu outbreaks, which could likely lead to even higher prices.