They announced on the news this evening that the reasons why egg prices are on the rise is cause of a bigger demand due to the atkins diet. Also new regulations on how many layers can be placed in each cage. Which means fewer chickens per chicken house which means less egg production. I guess I had better get back into having my own chickens again. I sold the last of mine about 2 springs ago and have been wanting to get more here lately anyway.
That's interesting! I had been wondering if it was just me. I recently moved from Oregon to CA and of course, everything is more expensive here, but 3 bucks for a dozen eggs? That's what brought me to this forum, to find out how I can get started keeping my own chickens. (I doubt it has anything to do with the Atkin's diet, though I'm sure Atkin's appreciated the free advertizing!)
You can blame it on PETA. It is true about the cages, we it was in my Management book at college. PETA made the egg farmers get larger cages so we are now feeling the burn from it. We buy our eggs in a 2 1/2 dozen flat and they have gone up to $4.06. Use to be eggs was a cheap meal. Not any more.
Here in the UK we are told that egg prices have shot up because of the recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza in the Netherlands. Millions of hens were culled and some farms have been cleared several times as the disease came back.As there's a shortage of hens there is a shortage of eggs so the prices go up. It would be a good time to have hens here but feed prices have also shot up. We had a long hot and dry summer so corn harvests were poor so there is a corn shortage so prices go up.Just can't win.
Extreme west Texas / New Mexico had an outbreak of an extremely deadly virus this past year. . . maybe that has affected prices, as well as the commercial egg farmers having to comply with new regulations. The Atkins diet . . . possibly, it seems at least half the people I know are on it, have been on it, or are thinking about it. Whatever the cause, its sure affected the prices - big time.
Working in the restaurant business I've come to realise that ANY opportunity to raise prices is taken. Heavy cream went up because of the fires in CA...yet other dairy products didn't. A few years back all types of lettuce went through the roof(spring mix stayed relatively cheap),and then miraculously came down after a few weeks. Beef...well beef is so up and down(although never down too low) you don't know whats going on. Butter went up due to El Nino one year but not other dairy. It is all lies just to boost their sales. Look at gas prices-tanker runs aground,price goes up IMMEDIATELY....
Another reason is that Buckeye Egg is being forced to shut down (finally) because of violations of health and environmental laws. I believe they are one of the largest if not the largest egg producer in the country. Mike
My Wife mentioned prices the other day I just though it was weather keeping production low.Seems I'm going to have to clean the Chicken house back out.Get about 10 Hens. Now Milk I an't going to worry about I only use Half Gallon a week. big rockpile
