When Kameron Wong came across how high the price for eggs was at the grocery store, she figured it was worth considering buying her own chickens.
She decided to head to Hawthorne Country Store in Escondido in hope of becoming a bit more self-sufficient. But to her surprise, the shop was completely sold out of chickens.
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“All these pens would normally be full of chickens," said Jackie Salas, manager at Hawthorne Country Store. "We are just starting to get into that season now and the demand for chickens has been extreme.”
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Apparently, Wong hasn’t been the only one looking to coop her own flock amid rising egg prices.
“We get multiple, multiple phone calls a day,” said Salas. “People tell me they have already called other places and they’re all looking for adult chickens but there’s a minimal amount available right now because of the demand.”
The only thing available at the country store are baby chicks and even those are selling out quickly.
“Usually we don't order every week but lately we’ve been ordering every week and trying to get new chicks in every week just because the demand is so extreme at the moment,” said Salas.
The chicks average around $12 each. According to store employees, it takes an average of six months for a chick to mature into an adult hen and start laying eggs.
Sales are showing that for those looking for a second option to buying eggs, the wait is no big deal and neither is the price to care for the chicks.
“It's way cheaper, especially with the cost of eggs right now,” said Wong. “I spend $25 to get 50 pounds of food or so and that lasts for about a month or two months. And you spend a couple of hundred dollars once on getting a coop so at that point you have eggs for years and years. It’s like $25 if you buy really nice eggs at the market so it's a no-brainer.”
Raising chickens is an investment plan that for many has become hard to beat.
Live chicken regulations vary by city. Here in San Diego, most single-family homes are allowed up to five chickens as long as the chicken coop is in the backyard.
