Has anyone gotten into raising chickens to avoid egg prices/egg shortages over the last year or two?

[mdent05]

Hey all: This is Mark Dent, a journalist. I'm working on a story about egg prices and raising chickens and wanted to see if anyone on here had decided to raise chickens/hatch eggs because of egg shortages and egg inflation. For anyone who's done this, would you be interested in doing an interview to talk to me about this decision? Feel free to send me an email at [email protected].

I'm interested to hear what it's like raising chickens and whether you've found if it makes financial sense in the long run given higher egg prices.

My story is for The Hustle, a business and tech news site with 2 million newsletter subscribers. And you can see my work at markjdent.com. Thanks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do a search here for a thread with the title, "so lucky, you get free eggs". Or just search "free eggs." It's already being discussed.

 

[NanaK]

Link to thread in the post above.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/“so-lucky-you-get-free-eggs”.1652507/

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

Do a search here for a thread with the title, "so lucky, you get free eggs". Or just search "free eggs." It's already being discussed.

Hahahaha I haven't seen those threads yet, but I can only imagine what they say! I need a good laugh today, so I'll look for those now!

@mdent05 only someone who hasn't ever had chickens can think that owning them will save money over buying eggs. My husband says that if we ever hope to recoup what we've invested our chickens, they need to start laying golden eggs.

Seriously though, one of the reasons eggs have gone up is because feed and supplies have also increased rather dramatically the last couple of years which affects the cost of owning livestock just as dramatically.

Also, there's an egg shortage because there's a shortage of chickens, and therefore a shortage of chicks. Even if one decided to build a coop and outfit it like in a magazine and invest in $30 in feed per month, they still might struggle to find affordable chicks. For example, the first of the year I tried to order my spring chicks like I always do and I'm on a waitlist until June.

I'd highly encourage you to not write an article portraying the idea that folks can get chickens to save money or combat the shortages. That's what happened a couple of years ago and many who did this ended up killing a lot of chicks due to lack of knowledge or ended up dumping them at the humane societies when they realized the cost and work involved.

Instead, write an informative article and provide information to those who simply wish to own chickens, and include the good that comes with chickens along with the harsh realities. This forum is a goldmine of information, so welcome!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes, Mr. Dent, anyone who is embarking into chicken owning NOW because of the cost of eggs is not going to have anything to report to you for six months, minimum. If they are just now getting chicks, it's going to be a long wait before they get their first egg. Until then they will shell out a couple thousand $$$ in building a coop and run, feed and extras while they wait ... and wait.

Most of us here have had chickens for years, and for us, eggs are incidental to the benefits we receive from our chickens. Precious few of us, even if we have surplus eggs to sell, even break even. I did not get chickens for the eggs. I got them for tick control. But boy, those eggs are awesome! When my hens take a break in order to molt, I do without. I won't eat commercial eggs at all. They're just so inferior, it's sad.

 

[FrostRanger]

Rising egg costs were one reason why I got into chickens although I was also fully aware that raising your own isn't necessarily cheaper. Rather, chickens play into my larger self sufficiency goals as chicken manure is gardening gold and chickens definitely poop a lot. Even if it's not necessarily cheap food, it's a reliable source of local healthy food and any excuse to get outside and get one's hands dirty is good

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

Yes, Mr. Dent, anyone who is embarking into chicken owning NOW because of the cost of eggs is not going to have anything to report to you for six months, minimum. If they are just now getting chicks, it's going to be a long wait before they get their first egg. Until then they will shell out a couple thousand $$$ in building a coop and run, feed and extras while they wait ... and wait.

Truth! And about that time (assuming bird flu is under control), commercial egg production will be back up thus negating the reason for getting chickens in the first place, if egg prices/shortages are the only reason.

Rising egg costs were one reason why I got into chickens although I was also fully aware that raising your own isn't necessarily cheaper. Rather, chickens play into my larger self sufficiency goals as chicken manure is gardening gold and chickens definitely poop a lot. Even if it's not necessarily cheap food, it's a reliable source of local healthy food and any excuse to get outside and get one's hands dirty is good

Exactly! This is why one tends to do it and all very good reasons!

We live about 45 minutes from a major Tyson plant. Whenever I drive through that area, the horrid smell and getting behind a semi carrying hundreds (if not thousands) of hens squished into tiny crates in pouring rain is why we started doing layers and meat birds. Plus I grew up in a very rural area with farmer and gardener grandparents, so I've always loved the taste of fresh farm eggs, and I got tired of having to source them from someone else when I had the means to do it myself.

You are absolutely right... it's not cheap food, but it's very good food and has more advantages than just the eggs. And getting one's hands dirty is very good indeed!

 

[AinaWGSD]

There are many reasons and benefits to keeping chickens, but cheap eggs is not one of them. There are also costs and disadvantages to chicken keeping that quickly become apparent to anyone coming at it with dreams of free eggs.

I don't doubt some people, even here, originally got into chickens for the eggs. Maybe because of shortages, or maybe because they wanted organic, free range, cruelty free eggs and/or for increased self sufficiency/sustainability. But I guarantee anyone who gets into chickens for cheap eggs is quickly disabused of that notion.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I'm averaging 15 eggs a day right now and spend $50 a month on feed. Egg production will increase as it continues to get brighter, but just pretending that 15 eggs a day continues for the rest of the year that's 5,400 eggs annually for $600 of feed

That's an average of 9 quality eggs for $1. Seems like a good investment for a safe, cruelty-free source of food

 

[SourRoses]

If you only count maintenance (feed, bedding), our eggs are a lot more affordable than store bought.
They taste better, the whites whip up better, and it feels better to know they live good lives.

It's the housing that ruins the cost-benefit analysis.
Good housing is expensive. It needs to stand up to the elements, keep out predators, be well ventilated, and provide plenty of room.
If someone has a barn or shed they can convert, it's possible for them to save money by keeping chickens.
But most of us don't have anything like that, and wind up spending hundreds / thousands of dollars putting a roof over their feathers.
Then you have the feed stores capitalizing on newbies ignorance by selling inadequate coops constructed with inferior materials. They're a waste of start-up funds and set a lot of newbies way back financially when they have to replace it with a real coop.

Another financial pitfall is predator losses.
So you buy these chicks (the cheap part), then you pour $20+ each of feed into their growth, spend on electric for heating, etc.
And then Mr. Coon waltzes up and says "Chicken Wire? Pah! That's not going to keep me from the buffet!"
Which is why all chicken keepers insist on Hardware Cloth (1/2 inch). Yes it costs more upfront, but it saves a lot in the long run (or even the medium run), and prevents a good deal of heartache.