Don't put all your eggs in the homesteading basket just to save money
TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — Korey and Jesse first started homesteading during the pandemic.
'If we can't access the grocery store we're able to still provide for ourselves, our family, our neighbors and things like that. So that led us into getting chickens, producing our own eggs.' says Korey Davis of Ark-La-Tex Homestead.
But now, the bird flu's impact on farmers is causing some to consider keeping their chickens.
'There are people have been asking questions about, you know, raising chickens for eggs at home since, the price of eggs has gone up considerably in the last few months.' says Brian Triplett, the Texas A&M AgriLife Bowie County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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You may think that keeping your own chickens might mean eating eggs for less, but the numbers may surprise you between making sure they have a place to come home to roost and keeping them fed.
The first thing to know is that chickens lay roughly 300 eggs a year, which is also what the average American eats in a year. So make sure you count your chickens before they hatch.
'Realistically, you would need about one laying chicken per member of your household.' says Triplett, 'You would expect to spend maybe anywhere from $300 to $500 or more for a coop that would hold, you know, 3 to 5 chickens.'
And even if you went out and bought chicks today, it would take time before you could start making omelets.
Triplett says, 'You would have about four months from the time you started raising the chickens till you got your first egg.'
Which is about as long as experts say it will take for prices to stabilize as farmers replenish their chicken populations anyway.
And after buying your chickens and a coop, the experts say the cost per egg will likely still make you miss grocery store prices.
'If you averaged it out over five chickens over five years, depending on the feed that you purchase, you're going to spend somewhere between, you know, $5 to $7 a dozen for the eggs that you produce at home,' says Triplett.
So while it is reasonable to raise chickens as a hobby or so you feel more comfortable where your food is coming from, don't expect it to help your budget.
'I would say definitely do your research. You know you need to put in that work. You need to educate yourself, you need to be prepared, you know, because raising a chick or a chicken from a chick is very difficult. They need a heat source, they need extra guidance. You know, they need extra love and care,' says Davis.
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