LAUREL — People across Montana are embracing a new backyard hobby as egg prices continue to soar — raising chickens.
In towns that permit it, residents are navigating restrictions on the number of hens allowed, with roosters typically prohibited.
Startup costs for backyard chicken farming can range from $200 to $2,000, depending on the coop and additional supplies, such as feeders and waterers.
The surge in interest has been largely attributed to skyrocketing egg prices. In January, the average price for a dozen eggs hit $4.95, more than double the $2.04 recorded in August 2021.
Concerns about avian influenza have also driven locals to seek food sources from their own backyards.
“It’s a little bit scrambly and this is just my quiet place to go sit and watch ’em be chickens,” said Megan Keys of Laurel while tending to her backyard coop.
Keys enjoys the richer yolks of her home-raised eggs compared to store-bought varieties, and she pushed the city of Laurel to enact an ordinance allowing up to six hens in town.
Just over 20 miles away in Billings Heights, Pioneer Poultry boasts a flock of 200 birds. Owner Tenille Bomar notes the potential savings of raising chickens.
“Honestly, you could do it for under $300 to start, and your six chickens will hopefully pay for your eggs within the year,” she explained.
With a price of about $10 per chick and a monthly upkeep of around $2.50 per chicken, many families are finding that backyard chicken farming provides fresh eggs and control of food sources.
“I don’t trust anything anymore,” Tenille said. “I do trust local Montana farmers... We can rely on ourselves.”
-Reporting by Marcus Cocova
