Your plans for the year? Egg prices and such

[U_Stormcrow]

If they are like most humans they should be able to take a joke too

I find that most humans can't take a joke about their faith, and only slightly more humans can take a joke about their politics.

YMMV.

 

[CloneFly]

Having been out of town for a while, then collecting my own eggs, I had not checked prices until I casually glanced at eggs in Aldi. I was shocked to see them go for $4 and up.

I have 5 hens that lay regularly, no production lines, just 'casual' layers. I have plenty of eggs for our needs, I can give a few away to our friends.

However, I am considering adding a few this spring. (chicken math?)
I am sure I won't though, because I would need to do some restructuring in the setup. Not sure if I can get that done. life is rough right now.

has anybody - ordinances and zoning permitting - enlarged their flock to deal with the insanity of the market right now?
or are you going the other way, reducing the size to combat feed bills?

$9.99 over at our local Ralph's with restrictions.

We may be getting a few more chicks to add to our current batch this week. We'll see

 

[raingarden]

I don't know guys. Adding to the flock because of the current price of eggs could backfire. The commercial flocks are reacting much more quickly than we can so egg prices should return to "normal" in a few months. You are going to have to feed those new chickens long after the egg bubble has burst.

My plan (hope) for the year is to hatch as many ORGB as possible but cull ruthlessly and go into 2024 with fewer chickens than we have now.

 

[SourRoses]

I don't know guys. Adding to the flock because of the current price of eggs could backfire. The commercial flocks are reacting much more quickly than we can so egg prices should return to "normal" in a few months. You are going to have to feed those new chickens long after the egg bubble has burst.

My feeling is that this has set the idea of chicken keeping in the minds of many who hadn't seriously thought about it before. The news is packed with "Should I keep my own chickens?" type stories. Memes abound.

It's like the Toilet Paper saga. Less about the real availability of toilet paper than the fear that toilet paper might be gone or hard to get.

A lot of those who may now be interested are likely to think of chicken keeping as something you start in springtime, just because that's what people always think, and why "Chick Days" is an effective advertisement.

Therefore, I think this spring is going to be huge for expanding the hobby.
Even if egg prices suddenly plummet, people won't trust it.
And they're not likely to get their first eggs until later in the year.
So, everyone selling started pullets will be sold out / raising prices.

 

[SourRoses]

Personally, I don't plan to change a thing. I was already going nuts expanding for the sake of my breeding project that took all of '22 to bring together.

Incubator is running, chicks are cheeping, mother is asking "where are those going to go?"...

But this will make it easier to move out every young bird I don't want to keep, so that's helpful!

 

[Curnow]

Practitioners of actual witchcraft should be offended.

Just saying

I am...and I am not offended. I love it, made me smile!

 

[aart]

View attachment 3387470

@Chookwagn..New Zealand?

$9.99 over at our local Ralph's with restrictions.

@CloneFly California?

 

[CloneFly]

@Chookwagn..New Zealand?

@CloneFly California?

Yup. Where else can you find such crazy prices

 

[Sally PB]

Chicken is good substitute for pork sausage recipes

Someday I might need to cull an old hen. Do you have a recipe for chicken sausage?

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

Personally, I don't plan to change a thing. I was already going nuts expanding for the sake of my breeding project that took all of '22 to bring together.

Incubator is running, chicks are cheeping, mother is asking "where are those going to go?"...

But this will make it easier to move out every young bird I don't want to keep, so that's helpful!