Here's a Super Bowl riddle: Why are egg prices surging — but not chicken wings?

Here's an economic riddle ahead of the Super Bowl: Egg prices have been going through the roof, as a stubborn outbreak of avian flu haunts the nation's egg-laying chickens. So why have the prices of chicken wings barely budged?

Wings have remained abundant and affordable, even as some supermarkets are rationing eggs and Waffle House added a 50 cent-per-egg surcharge this week. That's a relief for football fans, as wings will be the centerpiece of many a Super Bowl spread this weekend.

The reason chicken and egg prices have not moved in tandem has to do with the very different toll that avian flu has taken on birds that produce eggs — and those raised for their meat.

Nationwide, egg farmers lost more than 38 million birds to the flu last year — nearly 14 million in December alone. That's put a crack in the nation's egg supply, which shows no sign of easing. When a flock of egg-laying hens is wiped out, it takes six months to a year to recover.

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"Egg farmers are in the fight of their lives to keep this disease at bay, to keep our hens safe and to keep eggs coming," says Sam Krouse, a farmer who oversees a flock of 14 million laying hens in Indiana, Illinois, Texas and Georgia. "We know it's frustrating for consumers who want to go and buy eggs at the prices they've been used to."

But chicken wings are a different matter

Chickens raised for meat — known as "broilers" — live on different farms than those that produce eggs. And while broilers are not immune from avian flu, they haven't been hit nearly as hard as their egg-laying cousins.

"They're younger typically, and older birds are more susceptible to the virus," says Tom Super of the National Chicken Council. "And broiler chickens are also not on the farm as long — only about seven weeks."

A sign warns that egg supplies may be limited at a grocery story in Miami on Jan. 23. Egg farmers lost more than 38 million birds to the avian flu last year.

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Joe Raedle

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Getty Images

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That short life cycle also means when a flock of broilers is lost to the flu, they can be replaced fairly quickly.

Demand for chicken wings jumped 12% during the NFL playoffs, compared to the previous month. Despite that surge, wing prices remained grounded, slightly below their five-year average.

And a lot of wings will be eaten this weekend

The American Chicken Council projects that Americans will gobble up 1.47 billion wings during Super Bowl weekend, 20 million more than last year.

"They're just a great group social food," Super says. "And the spicier the Buffalo wings, they pair very well with a nice, cold beer."

Buffalo wings take their name from Buffalo, N.Y, where the Anchor Bar helped popularize the spicy snack decades ago. Sales might have been even stronger this year, had the Buffalo Bills gone all the way. But the Bills lost the conference championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs, who will face off Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

A lot of Eagles fans will get their wings at the Jug Handle Inn, which consistently scores near the top of the pecking order among Philadelphia wing shops. The restaurant is expected to do a brisk takeout business on Sunday.

"We start cooking at like 7, 8 a.m. and then go up until game time," says Kevin Stone, who owns the Jug Handle Inn with his wife, Nichole. "I think for the last Super Bowl we did around 23, 25,000 wings."

Stone's been working with his chicken wholesaler and says there should be plenty of wings to go around this weekend. Just keep your eye on the play clock.

"Don't wait until 2 o'clock the day of to call," Stone says. "Get your orders in early."

One more bargain for your Super Bowl table: The price of celery, often served alongside chicken wings, is down more than 8% from a year ago.

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