Egg prices leading to some locals raising their own chickens

High egg prices have some people considering raising their own chickens, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.

Kat Houston, a chicken owner, said, “We have four chickens. For us, we are trying to grow all of our own vegetables. We also are trying to have the healthy part of the eggs, and we sort of got them before the bird flu came.”

Houston explained that before owning chickens, she was buying eggs weekly. Now, she looks forward to her chickens supplementing that need.

“It’s a great activity for a family. It’s a great activity for someone with a small child, they’re easy to maintain,” said Houston.

The Betts family also enjoys the benefits of having chickens.

“My daughter really loves eggs,” said Tia Betts, another chicken owner. “Every morning we wake up, she gets me up as soon as they start going, because they’ll get they’ll get us up.”

Betts shared that her daughter enjoys collecting eggs in her princess basket and placing them in the carton.

However, owning chickens requires commitment.

“It’s definitely an investment. They’re social animals, so you have to really build them a nice area let them out,” said Betts.

Houston emphasized the need for dedication, saying, “Unless you’re in this for a year or two years, and you really want it two or three months until everything settles out. It’s not a good investment.”

“My big fear is that people are going to go out and get a lot of chickens, and then they’re not going to want to take the time that it takes to invest in keeping them healthy,” said Houston.