Eggs Prices Are High So Fight Back By Raising Your Own Chickens

For the longest time, egg prices were not too bad in West Michigan, but now prices are getting to the point that you may want to start raising your own chickens for eggs.

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My Parents Raised Chickens For Eggs

When my sister and I both still lived with our parents, there was a stretch of time that my family raised its own chickens for eggs and meat.

I think mom and dad got a bit attached to the chickens because it wasn't too long after harvesting a few to eat, my parents switched to just raising the chickens for eggs.

We even had a turkey for a couple of years that would lay some giant eggs that were excellent to bake with but then a fox discovered the chicken coop and that is a whole other story.

Fight Big Egg and Big Chicken and Raise Your Own

Many people during the pandemic made a chicken coop and began raising their own eggs and meat. It is also a great way to teach young kids about agriculture but depending on where you live will depend on if you can do this or not. So next are a list of things to do to raise your own chickens.

Check City Chicken Laws

You have to make sure it is legal but you also might be surprised by how many area cities in Michigan will allow you to have a small chicken coop within the city limits. Do your homework and maybe run it by your neighbors as a courtesy. If you live in the country it is still important to check the laws but you are usually good to go.

Research Chicken Breeds

Research the different chicken breeds depending upon what your needs are. Maybe you just want eggs, maybe you just want meat or maybe you want both. Some chickens are free range and depending on where you live and what predators you may have this will be important to know. Most backyard setups have room for the chickens to move around the fenced in coop area.

Where to Purchase Your Chicks

Where do you buy baby chickens? You can get baby chickens at most feed stores. I've seen chicks regularly at TSC and Family Farm and Fleet and I am sure there are others in your area. Plus, these are great places to build relationships and learn more about what chickens to have, when they are available and what to feed them. Make sure you know the sex of the chickens because most cities don't allow roosters for the noise ordinances.

How To Build a Chicken Coop

I am not going to get into exactly how to build a chicken coop. What I do recommend is watching the video above because it will show you excactly what you need to know. I wouldn't stop with this video since there are several to choose from on YouTube and I have provided a link there with a list of great choices so you can find what works best for your situation.