Rent-a-chicken: A solution to high egg prices and shortages
Some people are turning to creative ways to circumvent the high cost of eggs by renting their own chickens.
Jennifer Johnson wants to raise chickens – a dream she’s had for nearly a decade. Still, it took until early February, after a dramatic spike in egg prices, for Johnson to convince her husband to say yes to a backyard coop.
Johnson said she’s going “all in” preparing for the eight chicks set to arrive mid-March. She purchased a chicken brooder ‒ which will house the birds until they’re big enough for a coop ‒ and has started collecting the basic materials for her chickens’ permanent home: food, pest-proof containers, bedding.
With an estimated $3,000 in upfront costs, “realistically, I don’t think keeping chickens will save me money on egg prices,” Johnson, 38 of California, told USA TODAY. The eggs “might as well be gold.”
Experts say raising chickens isn’t likely to save many inflation-weary consumers money amid the spike in egg prices. But for Johnson, among a growing number of Americans expressing interest in backyard chickens, the money spent is well worth it.
Johnson is looking forward to building a sense of community by sharing eggs with neighbors, and said starting a garden and chicken coop helped ease concerns that food inflation could pick back up again.
“I figured the best way for me to feel comfortable is to put the chain of supply into my hands,” Johnson said.
How much do eggs cost?
Egg prices have roughly doubled over the past year amid an avian flu outbreak, with a dozen large Grade A eggs costing just under $5 on average as of January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The prices are high enough to push some Americans to raise their own chickens, even if backyard eggs are unlikely to result in any real savings, according to one university-based livestock expert.
Chicken coops were among the most popular DIY projects to grab Americans’ attention last year, according to a report from home projects and repairs app Frontdoor based on Google search data. A rent-a-chicken program has also reported an uptick in reservations, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
The price hike among eggs was big enough to push Maxwell Mallory, 29 of Missouri, to order chickens after contemplating the purchase for years.
“(I wanted chickens) before the whole egg pricing issue, but I definitely did choose to get them early because of that,” he said.
Mallory and his husband moved from the suburbs to the country in November, allowing them more space to garden and raise chickens. Mallory said they were drawn to the idea of raising and growing their own food, especially after price hikes at grocery stores.
Their chicks – Beer, Cerveza and Shandy, which were brought home in an empty Corona box earlier this year – are living in their shower for now, although Mallory plans to move them outdoors once the weather warms and their coop is finished.
“It’s more work than you would think,” he said. “People talking about them online talk about them as if they just do their thing and then you get eggs eventually. No. It’s five-plus live barnyard animals you have in your house. It’s definitely not simple.”
Are chickens worth it financially?
While egg prices may make purchasing chicks more tempting, a backyard coop isn’t easy money.
A backyard chicken budgeting tool from the Oklahoma State University Extension website factors in costs like feed, bedding, labor, and the average three-year lifespan of a hen to determine whether there are potential profits.
In order for a backyard chicken coop with eight hens to save consumers money, eggs would need to cost $10 per dozen over the next three years, said Dana Zook, an OSU Extension area livestock specialist.
It’s a high bar, even with egg prices expected to climb 41% this year.
“If you’re trying to, in the short term, defray the costs of eggs, it may not be the best option,” Zook said. “Egg prices will go down. We’ve just got to get through this tough period.”
Nevertheless, Zook said interest in backyard chickens has been on the rise as more Americans express interest in raising or growing their own food. She noticed an uptick in 2015, during another bird flu outbreak, then again in 2020, when lockdowns left grocery shelves bare and gave consumers more time to take up at-home hobbies.
“It’s more than just food production. It’s also a really good project for kids – but it’s not a cheap project,” Zook said.
She estimates the bare minimum startup costs with eight chicks would be a little over $600, but there are ways to keep costs low. Zook said converting part of a garage into a coop, for instance, will likely be less expensive than purchasing a new coop.
Zook said interested households should do their research before purchasing chicks or hens. They should be prepared to invest at least 15 minutes each day to care for the birds and understand how to best provide food, health care and other needs.
Homeowners should also make sure they are allowed to own chickens, since rules vary across municipalities and homeowners associations.
Zook suggested looking into local university extension offices for guidance. OSU’s offers an online course that teaches the basics of raising backyard chickens.
