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Stores across Maine are running out of eggs. Blame the avian flu.

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Stores across Maine are running out of eggs. Blame the avian flu.


The avian flu, compounded with seasonal demand, has significantly affected the number and price of eggs available to retailers across the industry. Above, a few dozen remaining cartons of local eggs are seen Wednesday at Barber Bros. Meat & Provisions in South Portland. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Every morning, the staff at Pine Ridge Acres stocks the farm store with 20 dozen eggs. They’re gone within two hours.

The eggs — fresh from the Cumberland farm’s 300 hens and priced at $6 per dozen — used to last the entire day. But as local grocery stores struggle to fully stock their egg coolers and prices continue to climb, more people seem to be turning to local farms, said Sierra Smith, who manages the farm store.

“With local farms, they know where their food is coming from. They can see the exact chickens their eggs came from that morning,” she said. “It gives them more peace of mind.”

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The highly contagious avian influenza has wreaked havoc on flocks of chickens around the country, and Mainers are now seeing the impacts in local stores with empty or sparsely stocked egg coolers. The shortage comes as the average cost for a dozen eggs has reached well over $4.

The continuing impact of the avian flu — a virus commonly known as bird flu or H5N1 — has significantly affected the number of eggs available to retailers across the industry. The eggs in stores are safe to eat, but getting them there has become a challenge.

“Customers will continue to find eggs in our stores, however, there may be occasions when a specific brand, size or type is unavailable due to reduced inventory from suppliers,” said Hannaford spokesperson Caitlin Cortelyou.

The impact of avian flu is compounded by the seasonal demand for eggs. Typically, the demand for eggs — and the price shoppers pay for them — goes up around the holidays. But so far this year, prices are not dropping back to preholiday levels.

The bird flu outbreak started in the U.S. in 2022, but the impacts are now more noticeable in the Northeast, where egg supplies are “very light to moderate,” according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released last week.

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In the last quarter of 2024, around 20 million egg-laying hens died because of the virus, out of a total of 369 million hens, the USDA said. This has led to fewer eggs headed to grocery stores — and higher prices for the cartons that do wind up on shelves.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 66 human cases of avian flu across the country, none of them has been in Maine or come closer to the state than Michigan. The virus has swept through populations of poultry and dairy cows and was detected in backyard poultry in York, Kennebec and Knox counties in January and March 2024.

Eggs that are properly handled and cooked are safe to eat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The current cost of eggs is 36.8% higher than in December 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average price of a dozen eggs reached $4.33 last month, according to the American Egg Board.

In Buxton, the egg section at Plummer’s Shop ‘n Save isn’t completely empty, but customers may not see as many options as usual.

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“We order extra heavy and hope you get half of what you order,” said owner Garrett Plummer. “We don’t get nearly as much as we’d like or everything we want, but we still get some. It’s not a complete outage.”

Plummer said it’s relatively common during winter to have some trouble getting extra large or jumbo eggs because of seasonal production, but right now, organic and cage-free eggs are also hard to get. The store has not had any trouble keeping eggs from a local farm in stock.

Cartons of eggs are stacked Wednesday in a cooler at Goggin’s IGA in Randolph. The current cost of eggs is 36.8% higher than in December 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Customers have noticed the egg options are limited at some stores — and they definitely notice the price increases, Plummer said.

“They mention they’re hard to find, and they mention the price,” he said.

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Courtelyou, the Hannaford spokesperson, said the Scarborough-based grocery store chain has been looking for new sources and supply channels. She said the company encourages customers to only purchase what they need, rather than buy more just to have them on hand, because of the shortage.

Max Barber, co-owner of Barber Bros. Meat & Provisions in South Portland, said his store has been “pretty blessed” to work with mostly local farms that have been better able to adapt to the shifting market than some of the national egg producers. The shop sells around 80 dozen eggs per week, with about 70% coming from local flocks, Barber estimated.

Barber’s relationships with local farmers also make it easier for the store to adapt to weekly availability, and stocking decisions are an ongoing conversation, he said.

Max Barber, co-owner of Barber Brothers Meat & Provisions, holds a carton of eggs from Sparrow Farm in Pittston on Wednesday at his store in South Portland. The average price of a dozen eggs reached $4.33 last month, according to the American Egg Board. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Barber Bros.’ customers are also willing to pay more for local, high-quality eggs, he said. Some call ahead in hopes of making sure their preferred eggs are on the shelf.

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“We have a customer base that wants to support the local store, and understands that in supporting us, they’re supporting the Maine farms that we’re partnered with,” Barber said.

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed reporting.



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This Classic New England-Style Cottage in Maine Has 200 Feet of Atlantic Ocean Frontage

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This Classic New England-Style Cottage in Maine Has 200 Feet of Atlantic Ocean Frontage


A waterfront home with open ocean views on the coast of Maine came to market Tuesday asking $4 million. 

Built in 1978, the three-bedroom cottage is at the southern point of Cape Elizabeth, less than 10 miles from downtown Portland. The 1.1-acre property on Sunny Bank Road features 200 feet of south-facing water frontage on the wide open Atlantic. 

It is bordered by a rocky sea wall that’s about 28 feet high, according to listing agent Sam Michaud Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty

“The views are like a Monet painting,” he said via email. “The water sparkles and the waves are endless.”

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MORE: Laid-Back Costa Rica Is Getting a $7 Million Mega-Penthouse

The 3,364-square-foot home was built in classic New England style, with shingle siding, a single sloped roofline and large windows—complemented by white-washed walls, exposed-beam ceilings and wide-plank flooring on the interiors. 

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The main common area features cathedral ceilings with a step-down between the living and dining room, and a partial wall divides the dining room from the kitchen. There is also a wood-paneled family room off the kitchen, a gym and a covered porch. 

The sellers purchased the property in 2010 for $1.562 million, according to property records accessed through PropertyShark. They could not immediately be reached for comment. 

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“I have received quite a few inquiries since hitting the market two days ago,” Michaud said. “Buyers understand that this is a golden opportunity to own over an acre with 200 feet of bold oceanfront in Cape Elizabeth.”

MORE: Iranian Strikes on Dubai Put the City’s Roaring Real Estate Market to the Test

There are currently just seven three-bedroom homes available for sale in Cape Elizabeth and fewer than five waterfront properties, according to Sotheby’s and Zillow data. It is also the most expensive listing in the town, with another waterfront property on a tiny lot just south of Portland coming in a close second, according to Zillow. 

Michaud sold the former Cape Elizabeth home of Bette Davis this past summer for $13.4 million, the priciest sale on the cape in at least a decade—and even those views can’t compare. They’re “just magical,” he said. 



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NECEC conservation plan will not protect Maine’s mature forests | Opinion

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NECEC conservation plan will not protect Maine’s mature forests | Opinion


Robert Bryan is a licensed forester from Harpswell and author or co-author of numerous publications on managing forests for wildlife. Paul Larrivee is a licensed forester from New Gloucester who manages both private and public lands, and a former Maine Forest Service forester.

In November 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved a conservation plan and forest management plan as mitigation for impacts from the NECEC transmission corridor that runs from the Quebec border 53 miles to central Maine.

As professional foresters, we were astonished by the lack of scientific credibility in the definition of “mature forest habitat” that was approved by DEP, and the business-as-usual commercial forestry proposed for over 80% of the conservation area.

The DEP’s approval requires NECEC to establish and protect 50,000 acres to be managed for mature-forest wildlife species and wildlife travel corridors along riparian areas and between mature forest habitats. The conservation plan will establish an area adjacent to the new transmission corridor to be protected under a conservation easement held by the state. Under this plan, 50% of the area will be managed as mature forest habitat.

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Under the forest management plan, a typical even-aged stand will qualify as “mature forest habitat” once 50 feet tall, which is only about 50 years old. These stands will lack large trees that provide wildlife denning and nesting sites, multiple vegetation layers that mature-forest birds use for nesting and feeding habitats and large decaying trees and downed logs that provide habitat for insects, fungi and small mammals, which in turn benefit larger predators.

Another major concern is that contrary to the earlier DEP order, the final approval allows standard sustainable forestry operations on the 84% of the forest located outside the stream buffers and special habitats. These stands may be harvested as soon as they achieve the “mature forest habitat” definition, as long as 50% of the conserved land is maintained as “mature.”

After the mature forest goal is reached, clearcutting or other heavy harvesting could occur on thousands of acres every 10 years. Because the landowner — Weyerhaeuser — owns several hundred thousand acres in the vicinity, any reductions in harvesting within the conservation area can simply be offset by cutting more heavily nearby. As a result, the net
mature-forest benefit of the conservation area will be close to zero.

Third, because some mature stands will be cut before the 50% mature forest goal is reached, it will take 40 years — longer than necessary — to reach the goal.

In the near future the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) will consider an appeal from environmental organizations of the plan approval. To ensure that ecologically mature forest develops in a manner that meets the intent of the DEP/BEP orders, several things need to change.

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First and most important, to ensure that characteristics of mature forest habitat have time to develop it is critical that the definition include clear requirements for the minimum number of large-diameter (hence more mature) trees, adjusted by forest type. At least half the stocking of an area of mature forest habitat should be in trees at least 10 inches in diameter, and at least 20% of stands beyond the riparian buffers should have half the stocking in trees greater than or equal to 16 inches in diameter.

Current research as well as guidelines for defining ecologically mature forests, such as those in Maine Audubon’s Forestry for Maine Birds, should be followed.

Second, limits should be placed on the size and distribution of clearcut or “shelterwood” harvest patches so that even-aged harvests are similar in size to those created by typical natural forest disturbance patterns. These changes will help ensure that the mature-forest block and connectivity requirements of the orders are met.

Third, because the forest impacts have already occurred, no cutting should be allowed in the few stands that meet or exceed the DEP-approved definition — which needs to be revised as described above — until the 50% or greater mature-forest goal is reached.

If allowed to stand, the definitions and management described in the forest management plan would set a terrible precedent for conserving mature forests in Maine. The BEP should uphold the appeal and establish standards for truly mature forest habitat.

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Rage Room in Portland, Maine, Developing ‘Scream Room’ Addition

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Rage Room in Portland, Maine, Developing ‘Scream Room’ Addition


For a lot of people throughout Maine, there’s some built up frustration that they’ve just been keeping inside.

That frustration can come in a lot of different forms. From finances to relationships to the world around you.

So it makes plenty of sense that a rage room opened in Portland, Maine, where people can let some of that frustration out.

It’s called Mayhem and people have been piling in to smash, crush and do dastardly things to inanimate objects that had no idea what was coming.

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But Mayhem has realized not everyone is down with swinging a sledgehammer. So they’ve decided to cook up something new.

Mayhem Creating ‘Scream Room’ at Their Space in Portland, Maine

Perhaps the thought of swinging a baseball bat and destroying a glass vase brings you joy. The thought of how sore your body will be after that moment makes you less excited.

Mayhem Portland has heard you loud and clear and is developing a new way to get the rage out. By just screaming.

Mayhem is working on opening their very first scream room. It’s exactly what you think it is, a safe place to spend some time just screaming all of the frustration out.

There isn’t an official opening date set yet but it’s coming soon along with pricing.

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Mayhem in Portland, Maine, Will Still Offer Rage Rooms and Paint Splatter

While a scream room is on the way, you can still experience a good time at Mayhem with one of their rage rooms or a paint splatter room.

Both can be experienced in either 20-minute or 30-minute sessions.

All the details including some age and attire requirements can be found here.

TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things to do in Portland, Maine

Looking for fun things to do in Portland, ME? Here is what the reviewers on TripAdvisor say are the 10 best attractions.

This list was updated in March of 2026

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Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

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Ever wonder who the most powerful players are in Maine? I’ve got a list!

Gallery Credit: Getty Images





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