Easy Backyard Chickens Are On The Rise in Utah and Nevada

Everything is expensive these days and it just keeps going up. If you have somehow missed it, egg prices have been through the roof lately. I've been to several store when they are completely out of stock. Natural Grocers has been having a hard time keeping the farm raised eggs on the shelf. The regular eggs from the store are lacking in quality, they are runny and more pale in color. It seems chickens might not be getting the nutrients they need to have strong rich eggs and they don't cook up the same and it makes my Breakfast Casserole slushy. Eeeeeew.
READ MORE; Utah's BEST Breakfast Casserole.

Stores like Tractor Supply, IFA and Cal-Ranch run out of chicks pretty quickly. So if you want to start your own backyard flock, you need to be prepared and get the chick schedule form your local store.

If you've been thinking about getting some backyard chickens.....now is the time!

Of course it takes time and some learning, but don't be scared away from this very rewarding hobby. It is VERY doable. Just make sure you are set up for all the fun and love of some backyard birds. ♥

Here are my recommendations:

1. The Space

First have an area of your yard set aside for a coop. Make sure the is enough room for your birds to roam around and get plenty of bugs and sunshine.

2. The Coop

You can make a coop easily. You can grab some pallets and some chicken wire and build a small coop. Or you can buy one. Look on facbook marketplace and at garage sales first. I found a $600 coop for $150!

3. Laying/Nesting Boxes

Depending on how many chickens you have, you will need a few nesting boxes. I have found that with about 6 chickens I only need a couple of boxes. I make them a little higher in the coop and away from the perch that they sleep on to try and keep them cleaner. The more time you spend on this area to begin with, the cleaner the eggs you will collect.

4. The Set Up

Your chickens need a feeder and waterer and some scratch. If you are bringing home baby chicks then you need a few more things. For chicks, in addition to the main set up, you will need a container for them to stay in while small, mash feed and a heat lamp. They don't stay small for long so if you only have a small box, that works for the first few weeks but then you need to upgrade their situation so you don't have any runaways.

5. The Chickens

You can order your chicks online or get them from IFA, Tractor Supply or Cal Ranch stores here in town. They now also have fall chicks for sale! You can also look at any of the local facbook pages and search for anyone getting rid of their chickens. I have literally restocked my flock that way. Then in about 5-7 months (depending on weather) you start collecting little baby eggs. It is awesome!

Hint* If you want to collect different colored eggs, you need to get different breeds.
For green-blue eggs you can get Olive-eggers, Americaunas or Isbars.
For White eggs you can get White Leghorn* or Polish.
For brown eggs you can get Plymouth Rocks* or Rhode Island Reds*.
*These are prolific layers

There are tons of options for all colors of eggs. You can research breads for days. I love looking at the different kinds and choosing more docile breeds that will do well in my climate. Also, some chickens lay up to 300 eggs per year!!!

Enjoy the pets, hobby and eggs!

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