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KEARNEY — The Nebraska Extension is hosting a backyard chicken workshop in Kearney next month.
The event will be held Friday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Buffalo County Extension Office at 1400 E. 34th St.
Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP by April 28 by calling 208-236-1235. There is a cost of $25 that includes a meal, pay by check or cash the day of the event.
The workshop highlights and presenters are as follows:
- Common poultry diseases and keep poultry healthy – Don Reynolds, profession and poultry veterinarian and Extension specialist.
- Nutrition management, grading and selling eggs – Brett Kreifels, Urban Program Director, 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator
- Budgeting and pricing, the economics of egg production – Shannon Sand, Agriculture Economics Extension Educator.
- Maintaining backyard flock, mitigating disease – Barb Batie, Lexington ag producer
“Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didn’t need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times,” according to an Associated Press report.
“Relief is not expected any time soon. Egg prices typically spike around Easter due to high holiday demand. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted last month that egg prices were likely to go up 20% this year,” per AP.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in Dawson County in central Nebraska as recently as early March.
The latest case brought the total number of Nebraska flocks impacted by HPAI to four backyard flocks affecting approx. 219 birds in 2025.
HPAI is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily among birds through nasal and eye secretions, as well as infected food, water, and manure.
The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds during migratory season, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers.
Wild birds can carry the virus without becoming sick, while domesticated birds can become very sick and die.
