Shelves emptied. Shoppers scramble to find a beloved breakfast food that seems to have disappeared from stores. The recent egg shortage has revealed cracks in the egg-conomy.
The classic breakfast food’s prices spiked in 2022. Eggs have been designated a luxury rather than a necessity, due to egg prices currently averaging at $6.00 per dozen.
The increased demand for egg prices has influenced others to become chicken farmers to avoid the fuss of expensive poultry. Others have kept a coop before the increased prices and have seen the beneficial impact it has made.
Rachel Whipple, a Powell High School special education paraprofessional and local chicken farmer, began raising chickens with her family when they previously lived in Green River. She loved the experience and decided to keep backyard chickens for as long as possible.
“The cost of chicken feed and some of the other supplies you need to have in order to raise chickens can take away from how much you save not buying eggs,” Whipple said. “With the price of eggs now, it definitely is worth it financially. You can feed your chickens table scraps to offset the cost of feed. Having a sustainable supply of eggs right in my backyard does bring me peace of mind, and I miss having that assurance.”
An additional chicken owner, Becky Crawford, enjoys the security that raising chickens provides, and the recent egg price rise revealed to be a smart financial investment.
“When egg prices are at a normal level, I don’t think I save much, if any, money by keeping chickens,” Crawford said. “But I still like the security of having them. However, with egg prices where they have been lately it’s definitely a money saver at the moment.”
Chickens have proven to be hard work. Colby Allan, a Powell resident, has invested her time into the potential poultry, with remarkable results.
“Chickens are a long-game deal,” Allan said. “They don’t lay eggs immediately, you have to feed and raise them for almost 9 months before you get your first eggs. They are a labor of love. We have had ours for almost a year. We get 4-5 eggs a day. It’s very fun!”
The benefits of raising chickens extend beyond financial purposes. Another Powell resident and poultrywoman, Bridgette Challis, and her family have seen personal improvements that come from the opportunity of keeping chickens.
“It’s a fun thing for the family,” Challis said. “It’s taught my kids another level of responsibility and the rewards that can come from it. It’s also nice being self-sustainable.”
Whipple notes that collecting eggs has not only benefited their own family, but their loved ones around them.
“I never sold my eggs, but I loved giving them away when I could,” Whipple said. “I will accept my family’s gift of eggs and buy from local farms whenever I need to. Farm fresh eggs just taste better, and farmers are selling fresh eggs for even cheaper than what the stores are selling them for!”
Having personally owned chickens changed the game for these people. When egg prices made it difficult to purchase eggs, Powell citizens have found another way.
“Amidst the egg price hikes, these chickens have been a blessing,” Challis said. “It was a huge relief to not have to tell my family that we can’t afford eggs, or even to severely limit how often to have them. We definitely had to be mindful, but we still got to, mostly, enjoy them from the backyard.”
