PONCHATOULA — If you’ve been to the grocery store in recent months, you likely have experienced sticker shock at the rising cost of eggs.
Consumers across the country are facing egg shortages at retail stores, leading to higher prices and even purchasing restrictions at some major chains.
The national average price for a dozen eggs rose from $4.15 in December to $4.95 in January, an increase of roughly 15%, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index. This marked one of the largest jumps in egg prices in a decade and accounted for more than one-third of the total monthly rise in food prices nationwide.
MORE: Local bakers left scrambling with egg shortage as prices soar
That price surge is primarily driven by a virulent strain of bird flu that led to the deaths of around 20 million egg-laying chickens in the last quarter of 2024.
As a result, more people are considering buying and raising their own flocks.
A costly endeavor
Will Strickland with the LSU Ag Center says that while owning chickens may seem like a great way to offset rising egg prices, there are some important factors to consider.
Strickland advises that first-time chicken owners should start small before committing to a larger flock.
“You don’t want to immediately think, ‘Well, my family eats two dozen eggs a week, so I want to get 24 chickens,” Strickland said. “It’s ok to start small and see if this is worthwhile.”
Although raising chickens might seem like a money-saving strategy, Strickland warns that the costs can add up quickly.
“As expensive as commercial eggs are from our grocery store right now, producing your own eggs will be some of the most expensive eggs you have ever purchased when you think about the cost of the coop, the cost of buying birds, the cost of feed, the feeders, the water, the straw, the bedding, things like that. Those costs can add up quickly,” Strickland added. “Now if you’re going to do it for years, that’s one thing, but the initial start-up cost (is significant).”
Strickland also stressed the importance of health and safety precautions. Of the approximately 80 chickens in Louisiana that have tested positive for bird flu, all came from backyard flocks. None of the infected chickens came from commercial farms, likely due to strict biosecurity practices to reduce the spread of diseases.
“We have a pretty regimented pest control protocol for our commercial houses that we don’t often see in our backyard birds,” Strickland said.
MORE: First Bird Flu death in U.S. confirmed in Louisiana
MORE: Avian Flu outbreak continues in wild birds for second year straight in Louisiana
Are chickens for everyone?
Martha Ebrect’s father, Joe Ebrecht, opened the Ponchatoula Feed and Seed in 1941. Her family has run the historic business ever since. She says the store has been receiving a surge of calls and visits from people interested in raising chickens.
Before buying chickens, Ebrecht suggests asking some key questions. First, she suggests researching local muncipal and HOA regulations. She said some areas have laws regulating chicken ownership, including limits on the number of birds allowed.
She also reminds prospective chicken owners that while chickens can have unique personalities, they are not pets.
“Some people will pick them up, hold them, pet them and have them sit in their lap. I don’t do that. I take good care of them, but they’re not pets,” Ebrecht said.
Like humans, chickens can also be wary of strangers. Ebrecht explained that if you already are raising a flock, it’s important to not just put new chickens in with the existing ones.
“If you’ve got two or ten or however many you have — you don’t just put one new chicken in with the group. They don’t like it,” Ebrecht said, advising that she likes to put new chickens in smaller rabbit cages first to introduce the rest of the flock to the new addition overtime before allowing them to interact.
What to expect from egg production
Angela Hagan has been raising chickens her entire life on her family’s farm in Watson. She currently has around 90 chickens that produce roughly 50 eggs per day.
“Most chickens lay between 200 to 250 eggs a year, so you’re never going to get a chicken egg from every chicken every day. It takes about 14 hours for a chicken to make an egg. They have to (a certain amount of) daylight, which tells their pituitary glands, ‘Hey it’s time to lay an egg.”
Hagan added that younger chickens lay more eggs, but production slows as they age.
“You’ve got to build a place for them to be. I call it Fort Knox because everything from possums to raccoons to foxes — whatever you have out in the woods — is going to come and try and break in and kill your chickens,” Hagan warned.
When asked how many eggs Hagan thinks she eats in a day, she said it’s a lot less than you might think.
“To be honest, you get kind of burned out on them after a while,” Hagan said. “Every now and then I’ll cook an egg for breakfast, but after a while, like anything else, you just get burnt out.”
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
Support UWK and its mission to deliver The News You Deserve. Unfiltered. Become a monthly patron on Patreon today!
