FALMOUTH, Trelawny — President of the Jamaica Egg Farmers Association (JEFA) Mark Campbell is urging members to protect their flock from an ongoing heatwave that is taking a toll on the industry, even as it recovers from the double whammy of hurricanes Beryl and Melissa.

Speaking with reporters on his farm in Trelawny Monday afternoon, Campbell noted that prolonged high temperatures have been especially hard on farmers along the island’s south coast, where laying hens have died from heat stress. He said farmers have reported losses of hundreds of birds, representing millions of dollars in replacement costs, plus income lost from reduced egg production.

“This year, 2026, the egg industry has come under sweltering heat, and a number of farmers, particularly those on the south side of the island — St Elizabeth, and Clarendon — they have suffered heavy losses. One farmer over there told me that he has lost over 700 chickens because of the heat that is on the land. And another farmer on the same south side of the island lost over 600 chickens. Now, those two figures run into millions of dollars just in the cost to purchase these chickens. And then the opportunity that has been lost is significant,” said Campbell, who is also operator of Campbell’s Egg Farm Limited in Trelawny.

He explained that laying hens perform best at temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and become increasingly vulnerable as temperatures approach about 106 degrees Fahrenheit, which is their body temperature.

The JEFA president is recommending that farmers install irrigation systems or lawn sprinklers on the roofs of bird houses to help reduce temperatures during the hottest part of the day, between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.

“The heat that radiates off these roofs and goes down to the chickens is what really hurts them. Once the temperature comes up to the body temperature of the chicken, the bird is going to die,” he explained.

Campbell pointed out that while temperature-controlled poultry houses provide greater protection, many local producers may not be able to afford them. To compensate, he encouraged farmers constructing new poultry houses to incorporate adequate roof height and insulation.

Other advice provided by the JEFA president involve feeding birds during cooler hours of the morning, adjusting lighting schedules to encourage earlier feeding, and providing vitamin supplements to help maintain feed intake.

“We have to start looking at how we are going to prepare for periods of elevated heat because laying birds cannot deal with heat at all,” he urged.

Campbell said chickens experiencing heat stress often reduce their feed intake, resulting in lower egg production. He added that production losses could range from 50 to 70 per cent if birds remain exposed to excessive heat. He said farmers in cooler, mountainous areas have not reported similar levels of losses because of lower temperatures and stronger winds.

Despite the challenges being faced by some farmers, Campbell cautiously said he does not expect any scarcity of eggs this year as replacement birds are entering production.

“I hate to make forecasts about production because so many I have made in the past have been wrong. But this is the period between now and the end of the year where a significant number of new birds are going in the field, and if the farmers pay attention to good practices, I do not see a shortage because of the heat at the moment,” he said.