The price of eggs has spiked over the past year, more so than any single food item.

That’s largely because of an avian flu outbreak that killed more than 43 million egg-laying hens last year, hampering the egg supply and driving up prices for consumers.

But some social media users have been more conspiratorial, trying to pin the blame on commercial chicken feed, government plots to control the food supply and Bill Gates’ investments in farmland and fake meat.

Here’s a look at some of the claims about eggs we’ve tackled in recent weeks.

Commercial chicken feed isn’t being sabotaged

Backyard chicken owners have been sharing posts on social media claiming their hens are laying fewer eggs, or none at all — and they’re blaming commercial chicken feed.

Some are saying it’s all part of a conspiracy to keep people from producing their own eggs and forcing them to buy eggs at the grocery store, where the price has skyrocketed. Others have tied it to a wider conspiracy to control the food supply to control the population. Fox News host Tucker Carlson gave such theories a boost with a segment on backyard chickens.

There’s no evidence that any major feed suppliers have changed formulas. Experts we spoke with cited a variety of factors that may hinder backyard hens from laying eggs, including improper nutrition, infection and stress. We rated False the claim that chickens have stopped laying eggs and their chicken feed is to blame.

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