PLAINS — With the bird flu and rising egg costs, chicks and eggs have been pecked right off the shelves in Montana.
Some people are turning to backyard chickens or local sellers, like The Heirloom Eggery outside of Plains, to get their egg fix.
When Sydney Normandeau-Mitchell started The Heirloom Eggery in January, the egg market was not really on her mind. But, she took over her sister’s flock and saw an opportunity.
“Just happened that I thought they should start paying rent and they're doing pretty good so far. So, I decided to make a business out of it,” she said. “I mean, we've always just had the chicken, so I've never really thought twice about egg prices.”
Watch the full story:
Now, Normandeau-Mitchell sells both eggs and chicks and already has a waiting list.
In recent months — especially with outbreaks of bird flu — egg prices have been playing chicken so people are flocking to the store to get chicks of their own.
Watch related coverage: Raising chickens in Montana for eggs: Costs and challenges
“People that want to have just a few chickens with this, with the egg prices the way they are,” Normandeau-Mitchell said. “It's crazy. I just got a chick order today from a lady that they've tried about every Murdochs between Kalispell and Missoula, and there's no chicks. They're getting sold out rather quickly in the first couple of hours after they get them.”
While she loves chickens and is happy to sell them, Normandeau-Mitchell cautions people to do plenty of research before they fly the coop. The birds are not a fad or a price trend and require a lot of work and money.
“They're not just disposable little critters. They are very intelligent as they can remember over 100 faces. They're very, very smart birds and they're very affectionate and loving,” she said. “I just hope people understand that and they know what they're getting into with the chickens because, like anything else, it's not fun to have to try and re-home all of your animals.”
