[jnmandal]

As someone who keeps backyard chickens and recently got a new flock, I will say anecdotally this spike was observed even in livestock.

In March 2025, I tried to order baby chicks to replace some of my aging flock. Not only was every hatchery sold out, but going in person to farm stores meant waiting in lines on the days shipments were received and dealing with rationing (3 chicks per person, etc).

I opted to order chicks for the fall instead of doing a normal spring brooding and luckily the weather cooperated, but as is normal I ordered some extra chicks as padding. The extras I have now been able to sell locally at a premium, covering my entire cost.

Let me just add I don't think backyard eggs are cheaper, even at the height of price spike, because when externalities like feed and enclosure are calculated the resulting product won't have the economies of scale. But I think many people decided they wanted a steady supply after eggs became hard to come by. I personally keep chickens for reasons besides eggs but I am still happy that more folks are keeping chickens.

[chrisco255]

The other thing about chickens is they are pretty easy to care for. If you feed them grain and provide them decent shelter and clean their cage out every week or two, they will be perfectly happy.

[pixl97]

Of all issues predators are the biggest risk I've seen in small raising operations. Especially if they wander open range or have a sizable fenced in area. Raccoons can be the worst as they are good at getting in places they shouldn't be, but Hawks, foxes, coyotes, and ferel pets cause problems too.

[IAmBroom]

To be fair, March 2025 was impacted by bird flu, so the prices were destined to be anomolous.

One of my huskies got out and did $70-80 worth of damage to my neighbor's flock: two laying hens.

[simonsarris]

huh, maybe I got in just before that. I ordered 1/31/2025, ship date 3/25/2025 from Hoovers in Iowa (even though I'm in NH they are very reliable), and there was plenty of stock.

[aesh2Xa1]

Not to be that guy, but feed/enclosure are direct costs.

Externalities are costs/benefits to someone uninvolved with the chicken/egg transaction (noise or free insect control affecting your neighbor are negative and positive cases).

[IAmBroom]

Another externality: in the city, chickens attract children. :D

[elthran]

Your phrasing of the last sentence caught my interest. Is the other reason fresh chicken meat, or is there another benefit to keeping them that I can't think of?

[everdrive]

Chickens are incredible composters. Put in your raked leaves, almost 100% of your food waste, paper towels if they don't have chemicals in them, grass clippings, etc. They'll be clawed through and pooped on and turned into fresh soil. If you have the space for the chickens, they can be worth it for this reason alone. They're less work than bagging up your leaves and you'll reduce the food volume in your trash to almost zero.

[joncrane]

This. How do you harvest/refresh the compost though? Just move the cage over? Do you kind of suspend the cage a bit and let the little stuff fall through?

[everdrive]

For me we have a coop and then a fenced in run which is relatively large. I built my gate so I can fit a wheelbarrow inside. I just shovel some out and smooth out the pits I've made. The ground doesn't need to be perfect because the chickens will always be making more compost and shuffling it around. If you had a smaller setup, I'd think a mobile coop & mobile run would serve you really well.

[Jeremy1026]

My neighbor keeps chickens as therapy animals, and is allergic to eggs.

[kevstev]

Laying chickens are very different from broiler (eating) chickens. You can eat laying chickens but the meat is much stringier. You can stew them though, coq au vin is a French dish more or less made for these types, even though its the norm these days to use regular eating chickens when making it.

[nandomrumber]

Some other reasons to keep chicken: insect control, weed control, fertiliser, mental health, good for kids.

[macintux]

My cousin lives in Kentucky, and apparently her chickens are hugely beneficial with tick control, which is a big deal.

[jnmandal]

As others have already said, the reason is mainly to cycle yard and food waste, as well as some garden tasks (they can be used to prepare beds as well as cut my lawn). I also plan to raise black soldier fly eventually.

[walkabout]

> Let me just add I don't think backyard eggs are cheaper, even at the height of price spike, because when externalities like feed and enclosure are calculated the resulting product won't have the economies of scale

The math checks out if:

1) You build your coop and enclosure basically out of junk or otherwise for near-free (good luck with the, ah, “spouse test” on that);

2) You lean heavily on kitchen waste for food;

3) You place no value on the time spent on anything chicken-related;

4) You butcher and eat each chicken after ~3 years when their rate of laying drops off (you stop wasting food and space on an unproductive layer, and gain “free” chicken meat);

5) You raise more than you eat and sell the excess (ten chickens aren’t much more effort than four chickens, and the extra may cover feed and replacement costs for the flock);

So yeah it doesn’t really work out, just buy $5-$8/dozen backyard chicken eggs from someone else who’s bad at math or has different priorities (loves the smell of chicken shit, maybe?), you’ll come out ahead. Or get them from the grocery store if you don’t care much about the chickens’ diet and conditions.