I raised chickens with my now ex husband back around 2009(after the big recession and his job was eliminated). It’s not for the inattentive or the lazy. When it works- you will have lots of eggs after raising a certain number of hens. However, a flock of chickens can very quickly be wiped out.
One wild dog, coyote, fox, hawks can eliminate a number of chickens in one night. In our case, a Florida panther near the St Johns found our electric fence a joke. Snakes and raccoons love the eggs too.
Also- the breed matters, chicken genetics is truly a thing like horses and dogs. Except chickens can be bred to get fat very quickly and hardly lay but eat and eat and eat. Almost like they are bred to get fat in a cage quickly and eat the cheapest feed and have short lives. My ex bought this breed out of curiosity- only one hen laid a ping pong ball sized egg and they just ate and sat in the dirt all day- not a lot of pecking, scratching, flapping, etc. It was so sad. And many were bred without a thought to their immunity to avian diseases. The red stars I raised were my favorite- lively but friendly- sat in my lap, showed curiosity, showed some aggression if nest was bothered by varmints. Ticks and mosquitoes were a lot less those couple of years, too, as ours were free range.
Cleaning the coop HAS to be done or it can get nasty quickly.
I remember taking care of chickens as a kid on the farm and I have no desire to do that now. Not that my HOA would approve anyway. I just look at the price of eggs, shudder and buy them anyway. What else are we going to do?
As for the rest of the economy, I am doing my best to get all of my remodeling finished now and save everything I can afterwards. I have a bad feeling I will need everything I can get by the end of this year.
I helped my maternal grandfather gather eggs on his farm when I was a tiny tot. Lesson learned? Chickens poop eggs. (You can see the poop on their eggs. QED.) My younger sister doesn’t eat eggs to this day.
Somebody care to explain why egg prices are so high due to the bird flu, yet chicken is in so much abundance at the stores, they are often putting it on sale?
I read that it's because the egg layers and the fryers are different breeds and they are kept in different conditions. There article wasn't real specific, but the layers have more chance to be exposed to a wild bird carrying bird flu. That makes the egg laying flocks more susceptible. Also, it takes six months for egg layers to start laying. Fryers are in a package in the store before they are three months old. So less time for fryers to get bird flu.
Yeah we had chickens for quite a while. It was fun, but over their lifespans (we kept them long after they stopped laying) we didn’t save much if any money. Gardening can be that way too. If you can’t make all your own compost, start your own seeds, etc you don’t necessarily save money. Fun and healthy, absolutely. Cheap? Not so much.
"While avian flu has been cited as the primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices since 2022, our research found its actual impact on overall production has been minimal"
I raised chickens with my now ex husband back around 2009(after the big recession and his job was eliminated). It’s not for the inattentive or the lazy. When it works- you will have lots of eggs after raising a certain number of hens. However, a flock of chickens can very quickly be wiped out.
One wild dog, coyote, fox, hawks can eliminate a number of chickens in one night. In our case, a Florida panther near the St Johns found our electric fence a joke. Snakes and raccoons love the eggs too.
Also- the breed matters, chicken genetics is truly a thing like horses and dogs. Except chickens can be bred to get fat very quickly and hardly lay but eat and eat and eat. Almost like they are bred to get fat in a cage quickly and eat the cheapest feed and have short lives. My ex bought this breed out of curiosity- only one hen laid a ping pong ball sized egg and they just ate and sat in the dirt all day- not a lot of pecking, scratching, flapping, etc. It was so sad. And many were bred without a thought to their immunity to avian diseases. The red stars I raised were my favorite- lively but friendly- sat in my lap, showed curiosity, showed some aggression if nest was bothered by varmints. Ticks and mosquitoes were a lot less those couple of years, too, as ours were free range.
Cleaning the coop HAS to be done or it can get nasty quickly.
It is a commitment, for sure.
Thanks for the round up!
That’s a lot of work!
If my city allowed flocks (it doesn't) I would keep quail. Cute, quiet and adorably tiny eggs, lol.
I remember taking care of chickens as a kid on the farm and I have no desire to do that now. Not that my HOA would approve anyway. I just look at the price of eggs, shudder and buy them anyway. What else are we going to do?
As for the rest of the economy, I am doing my best to get all of my remodeling finished now and save everything I can afterwards. I have a bad feeling I will need everything I can get by the end of this year.
This is a no-buy year for me, or as low as I can manage.
I helped my maternal grandfather gather eggs on his farm when I was a tiny tot. Lesson learned? Chickens poop eggs. (You can see the poop on their eggs. QED.) My younger sister doesn’t eat eggs to this day.
They have one all-purpose opening—the cloaca! Yeah, nature can be gross.
Great round-up, Michelle—thanks!
Somebody care to explain why egg prices are so high due to the bird flu, yet chicken is in so much abundance at the stores, they are often putting it on sale?
I read that it's because the egg layers and the fryers are different breeds and they are kept in different conditions. There article wasn't real specific, but the layers have more chance to be exposed to a wild bird carrying bird flu. That makes the egg laying flocks more susceptible. Also, it takes six months for egg layers to start laying. Fryers are in a package in the store before they are three months old. So less time for fryers to get bird flu.
Correct. People used to keep a flock, collect eggs and then butcher a bird for meat. Now these two functions are quite separate.
Same with cows — dairy and beef cattle are distinct.
Yeah we had chickens for quite a while. It was fun, but over their lifespans (we kept them long after they stopped laying) we didn’t save much if any money. Gardening can be that way too. If you can’t make all your own compost, start your own seeds, etc you don’t necessarily save money. Fun and healthy, absolutely. Cheap? Not so much.
"While avian flu has been cited as the primary driver of skyrocketing egg prices since 2022, our research found its actual impact on overall production has been minimal"
https://farmaction.us/exposed-billionaire-egg-baron-pays-contract-farmers-just-26-cents-per-dozen/