Plus wait till the chickens get bird flu.
It’s the bird flu not the chicken flu.
Then they have worry about Chicken Pox.
If you ever want to spend more on eggs and poultry products, getting chickens is a great option. It isn’t cheaper by a long shot when you factor in your time and proper care.
The reason why eggs can be as cheap as they are is because the poultry farms do not give a shit about the birds and feed them the cheapest they can and don’t concern themselves with avian healthcare.
If you want cheap eggs, be friends with someone who has chickens. Most birds will lay 1-2 eggs a day when they are in their prime. So 6 chickens will make a dozen eggs every other day. After a month you have 12-15 dozen eggs. The family probably eats 40-60 eggs a month, so you can see how the difference works in the favor of friends.
The egg quality can be night and day though. The cheapest supermarket brand eggs I can get always seem pretty thin and watery compared to organic free range. We could also sell the surplus to neighbors (building up local neighborhood relations, which have languished is modern era).
An easy solution to high feed cost and an overproduction of eggs is to feed them lightly cooked scrambled eggs. Two birds with one stone. And a war crime.
That is valid, but selling them for $3 a dozen to people you know or feeding scrambled eggs to your dog and/or cat is a better use of them.
After a month you have 12-15 dozen eggs
Only enough for 2-3 breakfasts for Gaston.
Chicks used to be $2.70, $3.00 for the fancy ones like Easter Eggers.
I just paid $5.40 each for regular old red chickens. Easter Eggers were $7.50 It’s not like I’m NOT going to resupply my flock but damn, double price.
I don’t know chickens… But it seems like buying one is cheaper than buying a dozen eggs… I get it needs a place to live and upkeep… Even if you needed to buy 12 it seems like once they lay eggs you would end up with more eggs than you knew what to do with them… Sell them to your neighbors for 3 bucks a dozen and bam free eggs…
Yeah, it’s cheaper than buying eggs. I’m also using them to rehab the back yard. Before I moved in there was sort of a private junkyard back there, now the soil is in much better shape
My family has had chickens for years. The eggs are fresher and taste better and we know what they are eating. They are not less expensive but you can’t eat money.
How often do they lay eggs? If I wanted to eat eggs every day, how many of them will I need to sustain?
It depends on the variety and how old they are. Leghorns lay almost every day from around six months old to around 18 months old. Then the moult and their laying drops off. Generally you rotate the birds so that you have enough birds in lay to supply your needs. Probably three birds in lay would provide a couple of eggs most days.
As a reminder to those who have never raised layers before, especially those in suburbs, layers generally start really slowing egg production around the five year mark. So if your seriously just getting them for eggs and being more “cost effective”, your going to want to butcher them after a few years.
May not, but probably will
Why the fuck is no one just cutting eggs out of their diet?
It’s not even like they’re particularly healthy, if you eat too many you can risk high cholesterol.
Unless you have really strict dietary guidelines this is fucking insanity.
All you have to do is stop buying them and demand will dry up and prices will come back down (to an extent anyway, bird flu is gonna keep it higher than the old norm).
Are people really so egg addicted?? Do people really not understand economics and the nature of supply/demand?
Dietary cholesterol actually has little to do with blood cholesterol levels. It’s almost all genetics.
a wild vegan appears!
Back off my baked goods.
Vegan used Don’t Buy Animal Products or Byproducts.
It’s actually pretty effective (at reducing demand for meat).
Stop abusing chickens?
Nah
Unless you have really strict dietary guidelines this is fucking insanity.
I mean, didn’t you just answer your own question? T2 diabetic here with petty strict dietary guidelines, and eggs are a staple in my diet.
Even disregarding that, I can only think of a few baking recipes that require zero eggs. Most baked goods require eggs, or at minimum egg wash.
Eggs are also a good source of protein at a relatively low caloric intake. And until recently we’re much more affordable than other protein sources. You could get 5 dozen at Sam’s Club for like $10.
For things like cake, there’s a lot of options you can use to replace eggs.
Further, things like brioche which require them aren’t really a need. When people talk about “Let them eat cake” it was actually closer to “Let them eat brioche.” If you can’t live without brioche, you’ve got bigger problems.
Standard bread does not need eggs.
You mentioned cake and bread. I’m talking low carb options. Quiche and things of that nature. Again, I’m a T2 diabetic. I’m sure as hell not eating cakes.
Not to enter into this argument but there are very delicious quiches that are vegan (use a scrambled tofu instead of egg).
Nothing wrong with that, tofu is great. Especially fried. 🤤
Unfortunately I’ve tried going that route and for a good six months I mostly ate beans and stews and more vegetarian/vegan friendly meals with less or no meat as an experiment and all that happened was lower energy levels, regular exhaustion, the need to supplement more vitamins than I already do, and my glucose levels spiking higher and more frequently. Wasn’t good for me (though tofu is still great, IMO).
I can only think of a few baking recipes that require zero eggs. Most baked goods require eggs
When I think baking, I think cakes and bread, not… quiche (like no shit a quiche needs eggs). You said “most baked goods,” not “most baked goods a T2 diabetic can eat.” I’d say cake and bread fall under “most baked goods.”
