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Egg shortage sends Central Floridians rushing to buy their own hens
Florida is currently the second most expensive state to buy eggs with a 57% increase since January of last year, according to Instacart.Diane Murphy and her husband run Funny Farm Eggs in St. Cloud where they charge $5 a dozen. That's less than average grocery store prices for farm fresh eggs, but the recent demand has them selling out and even turning people away.“We turn down about 13 to 15 people a week,” Murphy said.She said the recent increase in egg prices is partially due to bird flu that caused big hatcheries to have to cull their birds which had a domino effect. “It’s not so much that there’s an egg shortage; it’s that there’s less birds to produce those eggs,” Murphy said.So in order to make up for the loss, she said prices have gone up, but some have ticked their numbers higher than others.A nonprofit group called Farm Action wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking them to investigate price gouging, noting egg prices have more than doubled in the last year.In the meantime, those desperate for eggs are buying chickens instead in hopes of producing their own. “This year ... just since Christmas, I’ve probably sold 30 to 40 hens because people want a bird in their backyard, and we do sell chicks. We have a huge incubator that holds 270 eggs at a time, and as soon as they're hatched, those chicks are gone,” Murphy said. Top headlines:Orlando leaders advance plan to add restrictions for bars, nightclubs downtownBody cam video shows police pleading with wife accused of killing husband in Daytona Beach hospitalCentral Florida educators react to Gov. DeSantis' teachers bill of rightsIf you’re thinking about avoiding high egg costs by purchasing a hen to lay eggs on your property, you'll have to make some other purchases.“You have to buy the crates, the food, the lodging; there’s so much involved in raising a chicken,” Murphy said.Then there are the chicken ownership ordinances that vary per county and city.Osceola County allows a maximum of six chickens on properly zoned properties. They must be kept in a coop that's shorter than six feet in the backyard.Kissimmee and St. Cloud have different regulations that can be found here.Murphy said she had to turn down three phone calls from people interested in buying hens Monday. She said she’ll be able to sell more hens and eggs in early to mid-March.
ST. CLOUD, Fla. —
Florida is currently the second most expensive state to buy eggs with a 57% increase since January of last year, according to Instacart.
Diane Murphy and her husband run Funny Farm Eggs in St. Cloud where they charge $5 a dozen. That's less than average grocery store prices for farm fresh eggs, but the recent demand has them selling out and even turning people away.
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“We turn down about 13 to 15 people a week,” Murphy said.
She said the recent increase in egg prices is partially due to bird flu that caused big hatcheries to have to cull their birds which had a domino effect.
“It’s not so much that there’s an egg shortage; it’s that there’s less birds to produce those eggs,” Murphy said.
So in order to make up for the loss, she said prices have gone up, but some have ticked their numbers higher than others.
A nonprofit group called Farm Action wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking them to investigate price gouging, noting egg prices have more than doubled in the last year.
In the meantime, those desperate for eggs are buying chickens instead in hopes of producing their own.
“This year ... just since Christmas, I’ve probably sold 30 to 40 hens because people want a bird in their backyard, and we do sell chicks. We have a huge incubator that holds 270 eggs at a time, and as soon as they're hatched, those chicks are gone,” Murphy said.
Top headlines:
- Orlando leaders advance plan to add restrictions for bars, nightclubs downtown
- Body cam video shows police pleading with wife accused of killing husband in Daytona Beach hospital
- Central Florida educators react to Gov. DeSantis' teachers bill of rights
If you’re thinking about avoiding high egg costs by purchasing a hen to lay eggs on your property, you'll have to make some other purchases.
“You have to buy the crates, the food, the lodging; there’s so much involved in raising a chicken,” Murphy said.
Then there are the chicken ownership ordinances that vary per county and city.
Osceola County allows a maximum of six chickens on properly zoned properties. They must be kept in a coop that's shorter than six feet in the backyard.
Kissimmee and St. Cloud have different regulations that can be found here.
Murphy said she had to turn down three phone calls from people interested in buying hens Monday. She said she’ll be able to sell more hens and eggs in early to mid-March.
