Egg prices jumped more than 15% in January from a year ago, with a carton of eggs costing Americans on average about $4.95.
A quick scan at the H-E-B closest to the Texas Standard studio in Austin shows a dozen eggs ranging in price from about $6 to over $10.
Producers blame all this on the bird flu that’s forced them to euthanize millions of birds. And some egg consumers are looking to take matters into their own hands by going to the source – opting to raise backyard chickens.
Todd Ballou, the co-founder of The Chicken Rescue in Austin County, said it’s probably not cheaper to raise your own chickens.
“If someone already has the setup for chickens — if they have the run, if they have the coop – chickens to buy are relatively inexpensive. But there are some hidden costs to think about – some medical costs and other things that you may not think about when you go buy them,” Ballou said. “But I think in the long term, it’s probably not less expensive to buy chickens than it is to just go ahead and buy the eggs.”
For those who decide to pull the trigger and get backyard chickens, Ballou said there is a lot to consider first.
“There’s veterinary bills. Who’s going to care for them? They require some caring and feeding, just like any other animal. And the owner, the person keeping the chickens, would need to consider that before making the decision,” he said.
“I would look to make sure that the HOA allows for chickens – not just hens, but also roosters. We get a lot of calls from people that have purchased chicks, only to find out they have a rooster or two in the mix, which is not uncommon.”
Ballou said his rescue tends to see increased requests for rehoming when egg prices spike, especially when people end up with roosters.
“We definitely have noticed that people have pursued owning their own chickens and many times it’s those that could not have roosters. They didn’t think they were getting roosters,” he said. “So a recommendation would be if you are interested in acquiring your own chickens for your eggs, to consider adoption because, at that point, you know if it’s a hen or a rooster.”
Having backyard chickens can also be complicated when it comes to bird flu, Ballou said, because there’s not a surefire way to ensure your birds don’t catch the disease.
“It’s coming from wild game, wild birds. It’s really hard to keep things from coming onto the property, whether it be wild birds, game birds or waterfowl. So there’s really honestly not much you can do that we have found other than just cross your fingers and hope that those that might be exposed or have the avian flu [don’t] come onto your property,” he said.
“The really extreme way to do it is keep them locked up all the time, and certainly that’s no way that they would want to live in. Certainly no way that people would want to keep them either, because you want to let them free range and run around and do their chicken thing.”
» GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE: Sign up for Texas Standard’s weekly newsletters
However, Ballou said that for those who are up for the full scope of owning chickens, it is definitely worth it.
“They are fantastic to have and watch. And they’re great exposure for children to see how the whole chicken pecking order comes into play, and you can see them sociologically interact. So that’s wonderful,” he said.
“If you enjoy having pets, if you enjoy taking care of them and seeing them grow up and be fantastic pets with your family, then absolutely. They are a lot of fun, but it does take commitment.”
