Backyard chickens: A fresh solution to egg shortages
By Bob Wieland
If you’ve done a double take at the price of eggs lately, you’re not alone. With costs soaring due to supply shortages, more people are considering a different approach—raising their own backyard chickens. Imagine stepping outside each morning to collect fresh eggs, knowing exactly where they came from and what went into producing them.
Backyard chickens aren’t just about saving money. They’re fun, full of personality, and surprisingly easy to care for once you get the basics down. But before you dive in, there are a few things to know—from choosing the right breeds to setting up a coop and keeping your flock safe from predators.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife Kris and I decided to take the leap, ensuring a steady supply of eggs while also enjoying the perks of raising hens. What started as a practical decision quickly became a rewarding—and pricey— experience.
Choosing which chickens to buy took some research to find breeds that would be good egg layers while hardy enough to survive 100-plus Texas summers and sub-freezing winters.
So, we settled on Leghorns, white chickens that lay white eggs, along with three breeds that lay brown eggs: Barred Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps and Buff Orpingtons. Each was about $3.
We placed an order for 10 chicks in February 2021 and received them a few weeks later in a cardboard box. Chicks are shipped right after hatching and can go several days without food or water.
The U.S. Postal Service has been delivering live chickens since 1918, so there was no problem getting them. But the postage cost more than the birds and is now $75.
Chicks require special care. We set up a cardboard enclosure in a spare bedroom, putting tarps on the floor and covering them with pine shavings that we cleaned daily to prevent the spread of bacteria.
Poultry experts advise against keeping chickens indoors around people, so sheds or garages would be better options.
We bought a starter feeder, water dispenser and a warmer for them to huddle beneath. Chick feed is more expensive than feed for grown chickens, but it comes in small bags.
The chicks grew quickly, and we soon realized we could not keep all 10. So, we gave five to members of a local club for Collin County residents who have backyard hens.
Most cities allow a certain number of hens per residence, but not roosters, and with certain restrictions.
Within weeks, the chicks began to seek someplace to roost, so we placed a low stool in the enclosure.
As the weather warmed up, we bought a wooden chicken coop kit from Tractor Supply and assembled it in the backyard. The directions were simple, and the only tool required was a screwdriver. It came unpainted so we painted it to match our house.
At the time we bought it, the coop was about $350, but the price is now double that amount.
We first used shavings but later switched to hay which is easier to scoop up for disposal. We installed water bottles and gravity-fed feeders and moved the chickens into their new home.
We had two white Leghorns, one Black Australorp, one Barred Plymouth Rock and one Buff Orpington. Two of the chickens were named after my wife’s great aunts, Ethel and Millie. Our granddaughter named two hens Cloud and Shadow and the Orpington is known as Buffy.
While the coop was rated for 10 to 15 chickens, we decided to give them more room by placing them daily into two wire dog runs that we moved around the yard. The hens scratched happily, looking for worms and bugs in the St. Augustine grass.
We eventually ditched the dog runs and let the chickens roam around the fenced back yard. Chickens can fly short distances, but we never needed to clip their wings as they were content to stay in the yard.
They appreciated a patch of dirt where they could roll for a dust bath to clean their feathers and skin by removing excess oil, dirt and parasites like mites and lice.
Predators were our biggest concern. Despite the fence, we’d seen raccoons and possums in the yard, along with hawks and owls overhead. To keep the hens safe, we placed the coop on a layer of quarter-inch metal hardware cloth, which also extended a foot outward to prevent digging. We reinforced the doors with extra slide bolts and used a snap bolt for added security.
Egg production starts around six months old. Eggs are smaller at first but become larger as the chickens mature.
We got our first egg in August 2021 and estimated it cost about $500 when factoring in the coop, feed, supplements, and accessories.
The Leghorns were our best layers and could produce one egg per day when not ill or molting, or about 300 per year.
The other hens laid at least every other day, so we suddenly had a huge surplus of eggs and the price per egg continued to drop to nearly zero. The only continuing cost was $25 for a 50-pound sack of Purina Layena pelleted feed every month.
We also provide them DuMOR five-grain scratch at $10 per 10-pound bag and dried black fly larva, $25 for five pounds. Manna Pro egg cleanser lasts a long time and is diluted to make a soaking solution.
My wife began baking more to help use the abundance of eggs. We experimented with scrambled, fried, boiled and poached. Omelets, eggs Benedict, French toast, quiches and different deviled egg recipes. Our neighbors gladly accepted free eggs and we took them to work in six-egg cartons labeled “just got laid.”
Fresh eggs from free range chickens with a varied diet have darker, bright orange yolks and have a distinctly richer taste.
Although the U.S. Food & Drug Administration recommends eggs be refrigerated to keep longer, we learned many other countries store unwashed fresh eggs in the open for weeks. Eggs can also be frozen if beaten and sealed tightly.
The average lifespan of a chicken is three to 15 years, depending on the breed, and they generally lay for three to four years. We now have three chickens left and Shadow, the Black Australorp, still produces a medium brown egg every two to three days.
Even without producing eggs, chickens are interesting pets. They come running for treats or curiously follow you around the yard when you are gardening.
One thing to remember is the increased threat of avian influenza spread by wild birds, so make sure the chickens’ feed and water does not attract visitors.
Before investing in your own flock, check with your local animal control department for specific regulations and take one of the chicken tenders education courses offered by local farm supply stores.
We’re planning to add five new chicks in June, while our older hens will go live with our daughter and granddaughter.
Raising hens is rewarding, but don’t expect instant savings. The first egg might cost you $500—but it’s worth every penny.