Raising Chickens for Cheaper Eggs Gets Expensive Fast

Grocery shoppers, frustrated by the record prices of a dozen eggs, are increasingly choosing to go right to the source by bringing chickens home.

The price for a carton of eggs is up 60% year-over-year, according to the latest Consumer Price Index. Eggs are just one example out of hundreds of items that eat further into Americans’ budgets than they did a few years ago. Some shoppers hope a do-it-yourself approach to eggs will help stretch their budgets, and bring a little joy to their backyards.

Those who have raised chickens for years, however, say these newbies don’t always understand the tricky logistics of maintaining a coop—and won’t necessarily break even on the price of eggs.