Inflation And Egg Prices Drive Interest In Home Chicken Flocks
Interest in backyard chickens involves people of all ages.
March 4, 2023
Oskaloosa, Iowa – There was a stream of customers to H&S Feed & Country Store during their recent ‘Chick Days’ event.
According to Iowa State University Extension, egg prices were 267 percent higher during the week before Christmas of 2022.
Those eggs prices rose due to inflationary pressures and the Bird Flu, which has decimated flock numbers nationwide.
Interest also peaked as in years past as the snow melted away and springtime temperatures started to arrive.
Byron Eekhoff found a few minutes to chat with Oskaloosa News between loading new grills or sacks of feed for customers.
Eekhoff said the interest in chickens goes beyond just eggs; people want to know where their meats come from, along with the eggs. “There’s just a huge interest. I don’t know how to say it. It’s crazy high interest in having your own chickens in your backyard.”
“We’ve had a lot of new families today that have never had chickens before, and we’ve had a lot of old customers that are restocking for the year,” Eekhoff explained.
COVID and those initial years of the pandemic drove up interest in backyard chickens. Still, Eekhoff is seeing a much more significant spike in customers from even those early days of the pandemic.
Those previous customers may be restocking birds as some of their older hens age.
Eekhoff and his staff have the expertise to help you better understand what comes with raising chickens. They have the feed for not only egg layers but also meat chickens, heat lamps, and the feeders and waters needed to help make you successful. They even have quality Amish built chicken coops to keep your chickens, and eggs, safe.
“We try to be a one-stop shop for the chicken owners,” Eekhoff explained.
If you missed ‘Chick Days’ at H&S Feed & Country Store, don’t worry, as they will continue to take orders and provide chicks for customers into the near future. The feed and other supplies will also remain in stock.
“We’re just here to serve the animals and the owners,” Eekhoff said in closing.
Just because you missed ‘Chick Days’ does it mean you missed out, visit H and S Feed for your opportunity to raise chickens.
You can learn more about what’s needed to raise chicks at the Iowa State University Extension website here – https://www.extension.iastate.edu/smallfarms/rising-egg-prices-lead-increased-interest-backyard-chickens
