Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didn't need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times.

The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in US cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.