Bird Flu In Kansas Affecting Egg Prices

This is a post I wrote last month for one of my other blogs. I thought it would be a nice fit for my homesteading friends as well.

If you go into the grocery store here in Kansas you will notice the price of eggs has skyrocketed...that is if you can even find eggs. On a recent shopping trip I noticed that nearly all the eggs were gone and the ones that were there were very expensive. Bird flu has caused the death of many chickens in the state causing this shortage. (As of this posting date it seems eggs are easier to find in the grocery stores.)

Kansas has had to go so far as to ban chickens from all fairs this year.  There is a really great article in the Wichita Eagle from June 10th describing how this will affect this years state fair. 

I am so thankful that we have our little flock of backyard chickens. The girls we have currently are not old enough to lay eggs yet, but I know we have them as a backup later in case this shortage continues long term.

This is our second flock of chickens (the first set from last summer met with my mom's Great Dane and lets just say things did not end well). They make some of the best pets I have ever had. I was shocked to see that each one has a personality. Growing up I never really thought of them as pets, but just a farm animal. Seriously, if you have a backyard you need to look into getting 2 or 3. You might be surprised how many cities allow hens, just not roosters.

Another great reason to keep chickens is you know exactly where your food is coming from, what it ate and how it was handled. My birds are spoiled with full run of my large backyard. Homegrown eggs are not necessarily cheaper then store bought once you add in the cost of raising chickens, but they are MUCH tastier and, in my opinion, better for you. You will never want to go back to store bought eggs once you have had a fresh egg straight from the nest.

Try comparing a store bought raw egg and a farm fresh one next to each other in a bowl and check out the color difference in the yolk. We found it amusing once when we tried to make a blue cake for a birthday and it turned out very green.

If you want more info on keeping backyard chickens you can go here to learn everything you need to know.