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Posted on 04/25/2025 4:13:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The lines go down the sidewalk before the doors even open - families, backyard farmers, and people fighting high egg prices are here to get a first look.
These early birds get the chicks.
Kathy Swint called it “our regular chick order day” at Swint’s Feed and Garden Supply in Jonesboro. They started the day with hundreds of tiny 2-day old chicks, and they were all snapped up in 40 minutes.
Phyllis Gardner told Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer that she found exactly what she was looking for.
“We have Lavender Orpingtons, these are Buff Orpingtons. They grow up to be a pretty grey color,” Gardner said.
The chicks are prized for their breeding, colors and the different colored eggs they will eventually produce, but that process can take months.
“It’s gonna cost a lot of money - chicken math is real,” Gardner said.
She cares for her chicks in a puppy crate inside her home for at least eight weeks. Once they are old enough, they join her flock outside. Gardner told us she hasn’t bought an egg in the store for five years.
High egg prices have more people in Georgia looking into backyard chickens. The Department of Labor says the average for a dozen eggs is $6.23, a new record high. Price hikes have been tied to the avian flu.
But before you get fresh eggs, you need supplies. The University of Georgia Extension says you need a plan for housing, food and health and offers a guide for starting your own flock.
It’s important to check with your city, county and HOA on the rules. Backyard chickens are allowed in many Georgia communities, but even where you are permitted to have backyard flocks, some municipalities add restrictions for lot size or require permits for a hen house.
Some communities allow egg laying hens, but not roosters because of the noise.
The supplies can cost several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the conditions and how many chickens you plan to raise.
Swint says there are many reasons people come in for chick day.
“Some are just getting back to nature, just growing their own gardens, or doing their own chicks,” she said.
Gardner added the best thing about having chickens is the enjoyment of having them.
“Just to see them walk around and forage and to get the eggs, it’s just peaceful,” Gardner said. “It just reminds me of my childhood, so that’s one reason why I like it so much.”
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“they were all snapped up in 40 minutes.”
Did they roast or BBQ them first?
Sounds like trying to rebuild in Palisades in California.
Good news. People should be more self sufficient
One of the reasons we live in a “rural neighborhood” zoned area with no HOAs within miles.
Firearms and chickens on the property are what we do up here.
And lots of us have serious gardens.
BTW, we did chickens long before egg prices went up.
First time chicken farmers are gonna be in for a surprise about how much work they are to have healthy flocks and good egg production. Especially when more than a few of those cute chicks grow up to be roosters!
Also bird death is a part of raising chickens and collecting eggs. Never let the kids name a bird ;-)
Yep, there’s a reason we all pay people to do things for us...like getting eggs to market. There’s only so many hours in a day.
Never got higher than $5.00/18 here from the neighbors down the road. And we waterglass so we have bout 4 gallons of them around here.
(Egg Prices Send More Georgians in Search of Backyard Chickens)
And with Darren’s help, we’ll GET that chicken!!
I don’t care how much an egg costs. I’ll buy it.
They’re probably more expensive in Tbilisi than the countryside.
Oh, wait a minute
You are yolking!
But this family lived on the other side of a narrow strip of woods on a road
that was considered by the suburban snobs to be the ‘poor’ part of town.
They had a coop for the chickens, but they were always running around in the woods.
The chickens seemed to thrive there.
I have read some funny/sad stories. One lady said she turned the chicks out in the back yard and could not understand why they died.
Very few people know how to build a decent coop. Chicken wire is to keep chickens in not varmints out. People do not understand it takes 4 months for chicks to grow up and lay eggs. Then cannot understand pullet eggs at first.
Free ranging chickens still return to the coop to roost at night. Ya lock em in to keep the predators out, and the birds like it.
We have had chickens and pigeons for about 25 years. With both we have had many varieties. About 3 years ago we get rid of all of our chickens but still have homers. Sue has been talking about getting some chickens for quite a while. First we had to have 7 trees removed from the area where we keep our birds. That was completed last October. So then we decided to buy a ready made chicken coop, all of our lofts I made but I’m getting lazy in my old age and we wanted a coop with nest boxes on the outside. So we ordered a 5 x 8 in November it was delivered a couple weeks ago. Nice building. Yesterday I had a guy come over to give me a quote on some fencing, we are going with 3 split rail with wielded metal on the inside and 3 electric wires on the outside. It’s probably going to be June before we are ready for chickens. Total cost of this upgrade will be north of $10K. I want it to look “nice”. But suddenly $5.00 eggs don’t look so bad! It’s a hobby.
I live in the suburbs, a condo. My dental hygenist has chickens. She keeps a couple cats around to help manage the rats around her chicken coop.
So, do all chicken coops attract rats? I hope not.
At the moment we only have one chicken from our original flock of 5. We’ve been holding off getting new ones until we move. I can’t wait to get a new flock. The store bought eggs are tasteless compared to home raised. Plus the chickens eat every bug and weed in your yard.
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