Bawking at egg prices? Here’s the coop on backyard chickens

Jamie Knabe wasn’t surprised when she was recently asked about what was involved with raising chickens.

“It was just kind of basic, you know, about coop sizes, breeds, just kind of everything in general. Your basic chicken 101,” the co-owner of Country Road Farms and Country Market said.

It’s a trend The New York Times recently called “the inflation chicken” as more people nationwide consider adopting their own flock of backyard chickens to combat rising egg prices.

The spike in costs is largely due to avian influenza, resulting in more than 58 million birds being culled in the past year. Egg prices in January were 70 percent higher than the same time in 2022, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects prices to continue increasing this year.

The National Chicken Council has called on the Food and Drug Administration to take steps to alleviate egg prices, but, in the meantime, state and local experts are fielding more questions from consumers interested in chickens.

Owning backyard chickens is more complex than some may expect, however. For those considering owning chickens for the first time, there are a number of steps to take before purchasing birds, according to local experts and chicken owners. 

The Basics 

Animal science teacher Abigail Snyder advised consumers to start by doing research, just as they would when acquiring any other animal.

Choosing which chicken breed best suits one’s needs is a good starting place since, not unlike cats and dogs, there are a large variety of chicken breeds from which to choose. The American Poultry Association lists 53.

“You have your meat breeds, and then you have your laying breeds,” Snyder said. “So just be knowledgeable of those different breeds and what kind you’re looking for.”

Among the most popular laying breeds are the Plymouth Rock and Rhode Island Red, two varieties that Eudora resident Kent Mulkey, as well as Knabe, owns. 

Mulkey and his wife had been considering getting chickens for some time, eventually deciding to buy five hens in 2021. 

A graduate student studying Molecular Bioscience at the University of Kansas with a background in veterinary science, Mulkey echoed Snyder’s remarks about research. 

He said first-timers also need to consider what type of coop they wish to use to house their chickens.

“You have to buy a coop or build one yourself ahead of time,” he said. “There are a lot of ways to build coops. You can find scrap lumber. You could put one together. But I bought this kit from the store in town.”

Coops are not cheap, however, as a single small coop can cost between $200 to $300, Knabe said.

Snyder explained the importance of the housing purchase.

“Housing is a big factor just due to the fact that chickens are prey animals, meaning that they do have a lot of predators, such as coyotes, raccoons and hawks,” she said. 

Knabe said there are a number of ways to deter these predators, although it’s difficult since none guarantee the birds’ safety when they are outside the coop. She said using objects that make noise, such as radios, to scare away predators is one possible method to mitigate predation. 

As far as starting the flock itself, Mulkey purchased his chickens from a friend, although it is also possible to mail-order chickens. 

“You can even hatch your own if you want to,” he said. “So there’s a lot of ways to get into it. You have to decide what your comfort level is as far as spending money and then where you want to get started.”

Other necessary preparations include purchasing feed, feeders and water dishes, as Snyder stated that diet and proper food is also important. 

“Most chicken farmers will just utilize a pre-mixed, what they call chicken scratch, and it’s just going to be composed of different grains that they will eat,” she said. 

First-time owners should also pay heed to the number of birds one must own to ensure the health and happiness of the flock. 

“You can’t have just one,” Snyder said. “Typically, they do well in a minimum of four or five.”

Before purchasing any chickens, however, checking in with City Hall is the first step.

Owning Chickens in Eudora

Owning backyard chickens is allowed in Eudora, although approval must first be granted by the city.

Codes Enforcement Officer Gordon Snyder said anyone interested needs to fill out an application that will be reviewed, followed by an inspection of the coop and the potential granting of a permit. The city will inspect the laying boxes and decide from there how many chickens are allowed.

Ducks, quail and female chickens are permitted under the city ordinance. Additionally, according to the city ordinance, a maximum of 10 chickens may be owned within city limits. No roosters are allowed and coops may not be placed within 10 feet of a property line. 

 

The application for a permit can be found on the city’s website and may be filled out online. 

The permit costs $20 and is renewable annually, although one should expect the city to perform an inspection before renewing it. 

Those who do not pursue a license may find themselves facing a citation or paying a fine of up to $100, as Gordon stated that doing so is a ticketable offense. 

Chicken Care

Upon the chickens’ arrival, one should expect daily maintenance to ensure the birds’ health and happiness in their new home. 

“You have to be willing to get up first thing in the morning or so and let them out of the coop and at night, before sundown, you have to put them back in the coop,” Mulkey said. 

Outside of allowing the chickens to wander around one’s yard or their enclosure, daily feeding and watering is also required. 

Keeping the birds’ coop clean is also crucial to the animals’ happiness and the owner’s health, Snyder said. 

“A big component of chicken manure is ammonia. And so if that builds up too much, it then becomes toxic for the caretaker,” she said. “But also you don’t want your chickens living in that for an extended period of time.”

Mulkey said there needs to be fresh straw, which he empties about every two weeks and then composts.

Another aspect of chicken care is the provision of dust baths. 

“They don’t bathe in the water, but they use dust baths, so I have dirt piles around the yard that they’ll go in and fluff into. It’s kind of interesting, their behavior,” Mulkey said. 

For Knabe, these take the shape of tires filled with dust that are scattered around the enclosure.

The health of one’s chickens is another factor to consider, as vet bills may be costly, since chickens cannot be brought into non-specialized vet clinics. Threats to their health include avian flus, or exposure to diseases by wild birds that drink from their water or feed from their food. Like all animals, chickens will express warning signs if they are in poor health, Mulkey said. 

“You just have to keep an eye on them and just be aware of any changes in their behaviors. If they start looking like they’re down, they’re not as active as they were, you know, then there might be something wrong.”

Snyder suggests that owners also stay on top of local and regional trends in avian viruses to ensure the health of their birds. 

Egg Production 

Much like any other animal, chickens have trends in their egg production. 

They have roughly two years of prime egg laying, during which time they may lay up to 250 eggs per year. Snyder explained the fall-off that occurs in hens past their prime. 

“In the industry, they’re labeled as spent hens, meaning that they’re past their prime. They’re probably still going to lay here and there, but obviously not as high production as their younger selves,” she said.

Additionally, those looking to hatch and raise hens should expect to wait between 12 and 18 months for their birds to begin laying. 

Periods of low production may occur during the winter, Snyder said.

“So the daylight and the day length does have an effect on their laying production,” she said. “With the shorter days in the winter, they are going to back off on egg production.”

Knabe, who began raising chickens in 2000 when her son was involved in 4-H’s agriculture program, said her chickens only recently began laying again due to the weather. On March 9, Knabe went out to find her 24 hens had laid 17 eggs. 

“It’s been going up each day,” she said of their production. 

Return on Investment  

Mulkey believes owning chickens yields a good return on investment. 

With each of his five hens laying an egg every day, he said his organic, free-range eggs are likely worth 25 cents a piece, factoring in the price of feed and cost of the birds and coop. 

Egg production aside, Mulkey said he also finds owning chickens to be an overall enjoyable experience. 

“I think they’re a great activity,” he said. “I think they’re a good source of compost, so if you like gardening, then you might like that idea.”

While it may be profitable, and may provide other added benefits such as compost and a weed-free yard, Knabe said the cost of feed has increased. In fact, the increase has led Country Road Farms to increase its egg prices from $4 a dozen to $5. 

Knabe said owning chickens is a potentially expensive endeavor, but one that may be worthwhile for some individuals. 

“It’s not a cheap project,” she said. “But I think if people can have five chickens and raise their own eggs, that’s fabulous, because there is nothing better than a farm fresh egg.”

Snyder, meanwhile, suggests that individuals don’t rush into owning chickens simply due to the current cost of eggs. 

“I would always tell people to find someone local that has eggs, rather than venturing out and getting their own, just due to the fact people rush into these things,” she said. 

Ultimately, a prospective chicken owner must weigh the cost of eggs against the potential time, money and labor investment, deciding for themselves whether or not owning chickens is the right move for them.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea, necessarily,” Knabe said. “I think they just need to understand what it all entails.”

Reach reporter Jen Smith at [email protected].