Kosher consumers are confronting a chicken shortage, just in time for Pesach. So dire is the shortage that Facebook groups have sprung up to alert followers when a store restocks its shelves. In the stores themselves, customers police other shoppers’ carts, if it looks like someone is guilty of stockpiling, leaving that much fewer chicken for others.

The shortage is owing to a number of reasons, such as factory closures due to the early days of the pandemic. Lockdown meant employees staying home or looking for other positions. Once the factories reopened, they were short-staffed, which negatively affected production.

Another factor is a serious outbreak of avian flu, the worst since 2015. Apparently, we humans had a pandemic, now the chickens are having their own. Naturally, this also affects egg supplies for Passover, a crucial food item for that specific week in the year.