Florida chicken farmers experience increased demand after bird flu

When egg prices rose, some of Florida crowed over to raise their own chickens.

Lacy Spencer, 26, a freelance fitness teacher in Trenton, made the jump last June when she first imposed two chicks.

She said the biggest reasons for this were self -sufficiency and the increase in egg prices.

“It was really just to contain the food budget,” she said.

Highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which are generally known as bird flu, had outbreaks in December 2024 that caused the death of 13.2 million birds. According to the US Agriculture Ministry. Average Egg prices rose by 36.8% Between December 2023 and December 2024 according to the consumer price index and IT Increased by a further 15% Between December 2024 and January.

Higher prices have inspired consumers looking for locally produced eggs and inspired do-it-youhenf-chicken farmers among the residents.

Spencer now has an Easter -Gger -Henne and a rooster, two Rhode Island Reds and an Australorp henne. She said she planned to close some of her own eggs this spring to grow her herd.

“They are only very gentle creatures,” she said. “You know, I think she too as my pets.”

Each city has rules for the number of chickens that an individual can have, depending on where they live. In Gainesville, single-family houses can be found in RSF-1 to 4, RC, U1 and U2 distributions 10 chickens.

With increasing egg prices, some people choose fresh eggs from local chicken owners instead of eggs.

The 40 -year -old Tonneika Buchanan in Gainesville decided to look for fresh eggs when the price for eggs for grocery stores increased too much to buy the 60 counters that she normally bought.

Buchanan bought 93 eggs for her household and her mother's household for $ 31 from a local Gainesville who has chickens.

She said that fresh eggs taste better than eggs bought in the shop, and she plans to continue to buy fresh eggs in the future.

“You can see the difference like the egg yolk even,” said Buchanan.

Chicken farmers like the 43-year-old Charley Harrold, the chief builder of Charley's Chicks in Jacksonville, said that his farm has had a higher demand for eggs and chickens in the past two months.

“The pressure is now on us as a local farm to provide our communities eggs,” he said.

Harrold said that the farm was completely sold out in the egg legeine in the past two months. Charley's chicks sold more than 1,000 chicks on a recent Saturday, which is more than twice as high as the typical 400 that the farm would regularly sell on the same day of the week.

“It is all we can to keep up with the chicks that are only tags,” he said.

Harrold said that he thinks the uncertainty of rising egg prices is a reason why more people invest in the rearing of their own chickens.

“It urges people who are willing to become more self -sufficient,” said Harrold. “It pushes her to a place where you can take the jump.”

The 40 -year -old Julie Deeghan from High Springs bought 12 chickens a year and a half because of rising egg prices and now has about 50 chickens and six roosters. They are like pets for them, they said, and they each have a name.

Deeghan began to sell eggs when there was too many to eat for her family, but about two months ago the demand for her eggs increased strongly.

She now has a waiting list for people who want her eggs. Her chickens were seven to ten dozen a week.

Deeghan said that she did not increase the price of her eggs because her production costs have remained the same.

“When I come from Florida, I know Price stick,” she said. “That's awful. Why should I do that? “

The twenty-three-year-old Karina Fundora, based in Williston, started our Hen Garden a year and a half ago, a company that sold slippery eggs and a day-old chick.

She said she had to start a waiting list for customers last December last December because she slips in growing demand for eggs and chicks.

“It was pretty crazy because I never really accepted this as an actual business option,” said Fundora. “Because what I specialize in is taxes and credit repairs, so that's completely from my ball field, but I really enjoy the process.”

People want to know where their food comes from, Fundora said, and people can notice the difference between an egg bought in the shop and the delicious orange egg yolk of a fresh egg.

“I am pleased that farmers take more control over the field,” she said.

Although the increase in egg prices benefits farmers whose prices are less expensive, this does not mean that they do not deal with the possibility that their herds catch the virus.

The co -founder of Eggsics, Kevin Falta, 58, from Archer, is concerned about the safety of chicken, ducks, turkey and geese that its farm produces.

He said that small producers in Florida are susceptible because the state is on the migration flight path of birds that could wear the virus.

“We are thinking with a nine -month vision,” said Folta.

A precaution that he takes is to hide the food and water of the birds so that wild birds do not distribute the bird flu by contaminating it.

People have to acknowledge that the influenza of Vavien is a real thing, said Folta, and it is important that it is not touched to touch dead birds.

The owner of the Farm of the Los Pollitos, Veronica Depa, 37, from Chiefland, was not surprised when the demand for eggs and chicks climbed on their farm.

Every time there is an egg shortage, she said more people than usual when buying eggs and chicks.

“I think it is positive in a way that more people rely less on the big business,” said Deza.

She said to raise chickens is a good idea because they can control the quality of their eggs and the health of their chickens instead of trusting the quality of the eggs they find in the grocery store.

“I think it's like a wake -up call for many people they need to become more sustainable themselves,” said Deza.