Arizona egg factory kills 2.3 million birds at a potential cost of $38 million to taxpayers

May 30, 2025 Update: Following today's announcement that the Southwest's largest egg producer, Hickman's Eggs, will close for two years due to multiple bird flu outbreaks at its facilities that have impacted six million birds, please find below a statement from Animal Outlook's Executive Director, Ben Williamson:

"This is great news for chickens! A two-year shutdown of Hickman's Eggs represents a victory for the hens who would have been crammed into the company’s imposing sheds and reduced to egg-producing machines, and for the millions of male chicks who would have been ground up alive or suffocated simply for being born the wrong sex in an industry that has no use for them. We urge Hickman’s to use this time to consider a transition away from animal agriculture and toward more sustainable, ethical, and innovative practices. Plant-based egg alternatives are rapidly gaining popularity and offer a viable path forward—one that aligns with consumer demand for cruelty-free, environmentally friendly products. At Animal Outlook, we stand ready to support farmers and companies in making this transition. The closure of Hickman's Eggs isn't just a business disruption—it's a chance to build a food system that doesn't depend on cruelty to animals."

May 27, 2025 Update: Another outbreak at a Hickman’s Eggs facility in Maricopa County was announced on May 27, 2025, affecting an additional 1.6 million birds. This was the fourth outbreak at a Hickman’s Eggs facility in less than a year, bringing the total number of birds killed by the company to more than 4.9 million. The likely total taxpayer funded bailout to the company from the four outbreaks is estimated to be around $72 million.

On May 22, 2025, an Animal Outlook investigator obtained footage of depopulation efforts at a Hickman’s Eggs facility in Tonopah, AZ. American taxpayers are set to shoulder approximately $38 million in compensation payouts following this latest devastating bird flu outbreak, which resulted in the killing of 2.3 million chickens at one of the Southwest’s largest egg producers.

Disturbing Documentation

The footage obtained at Hickman’s Tonopah facility appeared to show:

• Wheel loaders dumping piles of dead birds into trucks
• Workers without personal protective equipment covering their eyes, face, and mouth

A recent USDA policy change increases the compensation awarded to infected facilities from $7 to nearly $17 per bird, shifting financial responsibility for industry failures to the public.

"This devastating outbreak at Hickman's represents everything wrong with industrial animal agriculture," says Ben Williamson, Executive Director of Animal Outlook. "Not only are millions of animals suffering in crowded, disease-prone conditions, but taxpayers are essentially subsidizing this broken system through increased federal indemnity payments."

Cruel Depopulation Methods

The most common method used to kill egg-laying flocks during avian flu outbreaks is Ventilation Shutdown Plus – a process where birds are:

• Sealed inside barns
• Deprived of ventilation
• Subjected to added heat
• Left to suffocate and die over several hours

A previous Animal Outlook investigation documented the suffering caused by this method in experiments at North Carolina State University.

A Pattern of Outbreaks

This was Hickman's third bird flu outbreak in less than a year:

• May 2025: 2.3 million birds killed
• January 2025: 300,000 birds killed at Maricopa facility
• November 2024: 800,000 birds killed at Maricopa facility

"These mass exterminations aren’t just animal tragedies—they’re public policy failures," says veterinarian Crystal Heath, executive director of Our Honor, who reviewed Animal Outlook’s footage. "We’re rewarding industrial cruelty with taxpayer money."

As the nationwide bird flu crisis continues—having claimed 173 million birds to date—Animal Outlook calls for a serious reevaluation of our broken food system and the hidden costs we all bear.

Take a Stand Against Animal Suffering

You can take a stand against animal suffering by leaving animal products off your plate. By choosing vegan alternatives and sharing this investigation, you can help end the cycle of suffering. Take the VegPledge today.