LOGAN – The price of eggs due to bird flu may be the reason for the run on chicks, or peeps this year. Feed and seed stores around the valley are in short supply of the baby birds.
Chicks are in short supply this year.
Sidnee Bowers, the assistant manager at Tractor Supply, said it is wacky this year when it comes to chicks.
“We got 125 chicks yesterday and we sold them all within an hour,” she said. “We have been getting 60 to 75 calls a day asking if we have any.”
Chicks are in big demand, said Todd Henrie, the Cal Ranch store manger.
“Every time a shipment of chicks come in we sellout quick,” he said. “I think the hatcheries are having a hard time keeping up with the demand.”
Cal Ranch gets a shipment three times a week, four to five hundred at a time
“We tell people to come early and stand in line. We haven’t had this much demand since COVID,” he added. “The demand is about the same as it was then.”
Cal Ranch has plenty of chicks raised for their meat, he said.
Intermountain Farmers Association (IFA) has had a similar problem keeping up with the demand of chicks at their store. Maureen Goodrich, the department manager over chicks and supplies, said they got some on February 27 and they were gone in an hour.
“I was here during COVID and the demand for chicks is the same as it was then,” she said. “We will get some more chicks come in and people will be standing in line waiting for them.”
Bracken Henderson a University of Idaho extension agent for Franklin County said raising backyard chickens are more expensive than most people think.
Bracken Henderson, University of Idaho Extension-Franklin County, said the price of eggs has got to be pretty high before it is equal to the cost of raising chickens for their own eggs.
“I don’t think we are there yet, but there may be other reasons for raising chickens,” he said. “Being self-sufficient is a good thing but raising chickens is expensive.”
Chick owners have to buy feed, obviously. They start on chick feed, then crumbles, then to pellets. Chickens can’t just forage and get the nutrition they need. Supplementing their diet with pellets and crumbles is a good way to raise healthy chickens.
“It is critical chicks have access to clean water. Chicks need shallow water so they can’t get in and drown,” Henderson said. “There are water feeders with nipples that can help the water clean.”
“Chicken coops can take on a variety of looks. Chicks can go through the chicken wire but as they get bigger chicken wire can keep them in,” Henderson said. “Chicken wire won’t keep out predators.”
He said the top three predators that kill chickens are neighborhood dogs, racoons and skunks.
“I recommend a stronger wire and they need to have shelter where they can go at night with doors that close,” Henderson explained. “There are enough predators around and you will lose your chickens if they can get to them at night.”
He also suggested giving the chickens a place to roost like a roosting pole.
Henderson said Utah State University Extension has excellent material about raising backyard chickens. Chicken owners should check their city ordinances to see what restrictions there are about raising chickens and roosters in backyards.