Egg price jumped more than 15% In January, a year ago, an egg box costing Americans around $ 4.95. Producers blame him on bird flu This forced them to euthanize millions of chickens.
With a relief that is not expected to soon, some egg consumers are now looking for alternatives, especially by going to the source itself: chickens.
Egg consumers are looking for alternatives
Throughout the country, several hatching that spoke with CBS News said they saw much more interest in buying chickens.
“Sales have increased considerably for all the people I know who sell chickens,” said Ron Goldsmith.
Goldsmith said that chicken flow sales in its pet store, Mike’s Feed Farm in Riverdale, New Jersey, have more than doubled since October.
“Each week, we will probably sell 50% more than the previous week,” he said.
HENS rental has also taken off, with a company, to rent the chicken, indicating to CBS News that they lend their chickens for six months at a time.
“There are a lot of considerations that start to commit to keeping the chickens,” said author Kathy Shea Mormino. “If you travel a lot or if you have a job that takes you away from the house, most of the day, chickens are not a good pet for you.”
Known as “Chicken Chick”, Mormino has been raising chickens in his backyard of Connecticut for 20 years. She shares her experience on social networks and wants people to do their research before committing to raising chickens.
She said that all municipalities cannot allow you to keep the chickens, explaining that there could be restrictions on the location of the coop, the number of birds and more.
“The best thing to do is to contact the head of the codes application in your city to request information on the limitations that may exist with regard to the legality of your property,” said Mormino.
Tips to save on the rise of costs
Experts say that chicken education costs can quickly add up. A backyard hen at its peak can lay up to five eggs per week, but consumers must consider the initial cost of the cooperative, chicks and food, which could cost thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, if you buy a dozen eggs per week from the grocery store, it would be about $ 300 per year.
“I always say that they are not only distributors of Pez and that they do not give us eggs,” said Mormino. “So, how many eggs they lay per week will spend their health, their youth, seasonal influences.”
But there are advice for saving on eggs as prices continue to surrender. Good Housefreing experts suggest substituting a fourth cup of Greek yogurt instead of an egg during cooking. The liquid left from a box of chickpeas can also be added to the recipes or whipped in an aioli -shaped propagation in place of mayonnaise.
Impact of flu
The H5N1 stump of the bird flu has spread since 2022. According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionHe had an impact on more than 162 million birds across the country.
Mormino said the bird flu is a great concern for herds at home.
“The bird flu is mainly distributed by the savvy migratory, so they are excrement and other secretions are infected with the virus,” said Mormino. “All you have to do is browse the duck poop in a pond in the local park and now you wear bird flu on your shoes, wherever you go.”
She also added that the concern is true for wildlife.
“So, everything you need is a mouse to browse the infected excrement of the Savolius which is a carrier and bring it in your backyard. … But there are certain biosecurity measures that you can take and should take as a backyard chicken area with the prevalence of the bird flu. »»
At least 70 people were affected by the bird flu and A death was reported. Human cases were distributed through dairy cattle, poultry farms and other animals, CDC data shows.
Earlier this week, the American Department of Agriculture said he was trying to rehthe some of his employees who were dismissed as part of large cuts made by the Trump administration on the basis of the recommendations of the Elon Musk efficiency department, or DOGE. USDA employees were experts working to combat bird flu.
“Although several support stations (highly pathogenic avian flu) have been informed of their endings during the weekend, we work to quickly rectify the situation and cancel these letters,” the USDA said in a statement at CBS News.
