Egg prices again reached a record high in February, as the bird flu continues to run rampant and Easter and Passover approach. The latest monthly Consumer Price Index showed a dozen Grade A eggs cost an average of $5.90 in U.S. cities in February, up 10.4% from a year ago. That eclipsed January's record-high price of $4.95. Avian flu has forced farmers to slaughter more than 166 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens. Just since the start of the year, more than 30 million egg layers have been killed. If prices remain high, it will be third year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter on April 20 and Passover, which starts on the evening of April 12, both occasions in which eggs play prominent roles. The price had consistently been below $2 a dozen for decades before the disease struck. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects egg prices to rise 41% this year over last year’s average of $3.17 per dozen. MORE: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/nation-world/egg-prices-hit-records-easter-passover-approach/507-9035fe48-85b1-44aa-a96d-c55b36a4787c