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Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

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Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#101

Post by thaumasiotes »

qq99 wrote: post #93

As someone who once built a large coop [1] then just bought a pre-built shed for the 2nd coop, it's definitely _not_ the _monetary_ solution. You will probably lose money overall for quite some time. I'm still probably underwater. BUT, there are definite upsides: - Chickens are very sweet animals, and are quite intelligent. You will grow to love all the silly things they do. You can pet them, they are super soft, and…

> Chickens are very sweet animals

My father asked for, and got, a chick for Easter once.

It grew into a rooster that took over the backyard by terrorizing the whole family. Only my grandmother, who had grown up on a farm, was willing to go into the yard.

> Your wife may one day want a chicken to live inside the house. You may one day agree to this, and then miss it when the chicken is living outside the house again...

A friend of mine complained to me a few years ago that the people in the apartment next to hers were raising a chicken. The crowing woke her up in the morning. But she consoled herself that soon enough they'd eat it.

I was pretty amused at the whole idea of raising a chicken inside an apartment.

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#102

Post by briandear »

medellin wrote: post #16
ezekg wrote: post #2

Build vs buy. You can be me and build an in-house flock, pay $100/mo in feed, $500 for a livestock guard dog, $100/mo for dog food, $500 for a solar electric fence, and then $500 for a few coops, etc. It'll pay off before I'm dead, I think! -- right? Right?!

As usual when the MBAs get involved the build price magically becomes 10x what the actual cost is.

The MBAs know how to value the actual costs. Most people for example, ignore the cost of their own labor and the opportunity costs of the whole affair.

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#103

Post by aqueueaqueue »

abeppu wrote: post #30

The letter from Farm Action, linked at the top of the article, is pretty compelling in making their case. A few highlights: > As a result of the smaller flock, egg production has dropped slightly from 8.1 billion eggs per month in 2021 to 7.75 billion eggs per month in December 2024. Importantly, however, per capita production of eggs in the U.S. has not dipped below per capita consumption of eggs in any year between…

> per capita production of eggs in the U.S. has not dipped below per capita consumption of eggs in any year between 2022 and the present

Because people can't buy eggs that don't exist.

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#104

Post by remexre »

aqueueaqueue wrote: post #103
abeppu wrote: post #30

The letter from Farm Action, linked at the top of the article, is pretty compelling in making their case. A few highlights: > As a result of the smaller flock, egg production has dropped slightly from 8.1 billion eggs per month in 2021 to 7.75 billion eggs per month in December 2024. Importantly, however, per capita production of eggs in the U.S. has not dipped below per capita consumption of eggs in any year between…

> per capita production of eggs in the U.S. has not dipped below per capita consumption of eggs in any year between 2022 and the present Because people can't buy eggs that don't exist.

Imports?

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#105

Post by sandermvanvliet »

qq99 wrote: post #93

As someone who once built a large coop [1] then just bought a pre-built shed for the 2nd coop, it's definitely _not_ the _monetary_ solution. You will probably lose money overall for quite some time. I'm still probably underwater. BUT, there are definite upsides: - Chickens are very sweet animals, and are quite intelligent. You will grow to love all the silly things they do. You can pet them, they are super soft, and…

Some other downsides:

- The smell… Chicken crap is horrible. Our neighbour has chickens, we have flies. Lots of black flies.

- Bye bye garden… My dad has two chickens (did I mention the smell?) that free roam and absolutely tear up everything looking for a tasty bite.

- Can’t eat the eggs This isn’t necessarily a chicken problem but mostly a problem with chemical industry. We’ve had a lot of PFOA/PFAS contamination and public health advise says to not eat eggs from backyard chickens

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#106

Post by pulkitsh1234 »

qq99 wrote: post #93

As someone who once built a large coop [1] then just bought a pre-built shed for the 2nd coop, it's definitely _not_ the _monetary_ solution. You will probably lose money overall for quite some time. I'm still probably underwater. BUT, there are definite upsides: - Chickens are very sweet animals, and are quite intelligent. You will grow to love all the silly things they do. You can pet them, they are super soft, and…

> If you really like eating chicken, you may end up finding it difficult to eat them again in the future after you develop a bond with them.

I used the believe the same, but as I found out on HN, there are a lot of people who won't bat an eye killing animals raised on their own land. Maybe they just never develop a bond with these animals.

But then the question should be is it just the "bond" which is holding someone back from killing animals? Why can't we just not kill without relying on bonds?

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#107

Post by Toutouxc »

wakawaka28 wrote: post #88
Jgrubb wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I'm not looking at it the way you look at it? Been at it for ten years and am perfectly happy with how it's been going.

If you think you're spending too much on the eggs then you're not perfectly happy. I grew up with chickens and my family also grew up with them. I'm just saying, something is really wrong with the way you're doing it if you think it's not worth the money. There are ways to do it economically. What do you suppose the big farms feed the chickens to make it economical to not only grow the chickens but also package and s…

> There are ways to do it economically. What do you suppose the big farms feed the chickens to make it economical to not only grow the chickens but also package and ship the eggs profitably for all involved, cheaper than you can do it without packaging and shipping and paying middle men?

They feed them shit and treat them like shit. For most people [that I know] the whole point of doing this at home is to do things differently.

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#108

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #101
qq99 wrote: post #93

As someone who once built a large coop [1] then just bought a pre-built shed for the 2nd coop, it's definitely _not_ the _monetary_ solution. You will probably lose money overall for quite some time. I'm still probably underwater. BUT, there are definite upsides: - Chickens are very sweet animals, and are quite intelligent. You will grow to love all the silly things they do. You can pet them, they are super soft, and…

> Chickens are very sweet animals My father asked for, and got, a chick for Easter once. It grew into a rooster that took over the backyard by terrorizing the whole family. Only my grandmother, who had grown up on a farm, was willing to go into the yard. > Your wife may one day want a chicken to live inside the house. You may one day agree to this, and then miss it when the chicken is living outside the house again..…

Check your local regulations. Keeping roosters (adult male chickens) in many city areas is actually illegal; i.e. against the byelaws. It is considered antisocial because of the noise that they make and the early hours when they make it. i.e. literally "at cockcrow"

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#109

Post by aqueueaqueue »

remexre wrote: post #104
aqueueaqueue wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> per capita production of eggs in the U.S. has not dipped below per capita consumption of eggs in any year between 2022 and the present Because people can't buy eggs that don't exist.

Imports?

Good point. I didn't imagine a lot of egg imports happened.

Re: Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?

#110

Post by t-3 »

bagels wrote: post #60
trod1234 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity why not grow your own feed? In many cases you can cycle the compost back in to the feed you grow (as fertilizer). Around here our eggs are averaging about $9 per 12 on the shelves, and you can't buy just 12, the only eggs on the shelf are the 18/24 packs so about $20-22 per pack, almost the same price as choice meat.

How much land would you need to grow that much grain? Probably a lot more than most backyard chicken flock owners have.

Chickens will eat grain, but the best eggs (and healthiest chickens) come from lots of protein and green leafy matter. Vermiculture and simple insect attraction methods like maggot buckets, food scraps, and lawn/garden waste can go a long way with chickens.
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