chicken

WESLACO, Texas (KVEO) – With the national median price for a dozen eggs approaching $4, people are increasingly turning to buying chickens to raise at home.

But is raising chickens all that matters, and do the savings add up?

Before paying for hens, we got as much information as we could from Leroy Moreno, owner of Moreno’s Feed & Pet Stores in Weslaco, Texas.

At Moreno – “The best place in town to pick up chicks” – 5-month-old chickens sell for $25 and 2-day-old chicks for $3.

Moreno said chickens start laying eggs at six months and don’t need fertilization by a rooster unless chicks are desired. Otherwise, hens will continuously lay five to seven eggs a week with no action on your part other than feeding, housing, and cleaning.

Some may think it’s more economical to source eggs at home by buying a $3 chick or $25 hen. But how much will this chicken eat in six months?

Based on the national average ($4 per dozen eggs) and estimating that a family of five eats about a dozen eggs every week and a half, that family would spend about $72.8 on store-bought eggs over six months. And they will only have bought about 200 eggs in that time.

If someone buys three egg-ready hens (at about $25 each), then that household will produce about 21 eggs per week.

But according to Moreno, three chickens – on average – would use up a 50-pound bag of feed in 20 days. A 50-pound bag of feed is marketed in Weslaco, Texas for about $18.

A household of hens with an adequate feeding schedule would therefore spend about $163 on feed alone every six months to produce 546 eggs, which is significantly more money and more eggs than just buying 200 from the store. Of course, if you have fewer chickens, your costs will go down, but the estimate above ($163 every six months) doesn’t include the price of the chicken or the cost of caring for it, including the coop and fence. And the prices of eggs, feed and care materials vary depending on where you live.

Depending on how many eggs your family wants to consume, the work may be worth it. But Moreno acknowledged that even commercial farms struggled to make a profit from selling eggs alone.

“The great [farms] have government subsidies; They can’t survive selling dozens of eggs for $2 or $3,” Moreno said.

“Well, you’re either a big boy or you’re out of business.”

Aside from the cost, there can still be benefits to harvesting your own eggs. The founders of Coop, an Austin-based company that offers beginner chicken raising courses, recently told Nexstar’s KXAN that homegrown eggs have higher beta-carotene and B vitamins and lower cholesterol than store-bought ones.

Customers are also lining up to pre-register for Coop’s Intro to Chickens 101 courses in hopes of learning the basics of caring for their own chickens.

But what these beginners should know, Moreno added, is that chickens don’t produce a constant amount of eggs throughout their lives.

Chicks, for example, do not lay eggs for six months and require a lot of care. For the first four weeks, when the chicks cannot fully grow their feathers, they need to be in a box or cage with a heat source such as a lamp or heater.

Chickens also don’t lay eggs during the cold months and during the moult, Moreno said. During the molting season, a chicken sheds its feathers and grows new ones, much like a snake shedding its skin. This is usually the case in July and August.

Moreno said the chickens couldn’t eat just any grain either. Moreno said healthy chickens need mineral gravel and oyster shells to provide calcium. Chickens also need vegetables and filtered water for best results.

“And during the day, the healthiest thing is to bring them out in the yard for an hour or two, or just eat grass and bugs in the yard all day, which is the healthiest way to raise chickens,” Moreno said.

Not to mention installing a chicken coop. While each city has its own livestock ordinance, Weslaco allows residents to own six chickens at a time, the feed owner said. Those interested in investing in chickens should definitely check their city’s ordinances before making a purchase.

According to Moreno, owning the birds doesn’t require a land restriction, since most cities require chickens to be kept in a coop so as not to disturb neighbors.

After a few years, hens can stop producing as many eggs and owners could be left with infertile hens. During this time, people who just wanted to invest in fresh home-grown eggs usually have to decide whether to keep the animal as a pet or use it as poultry.

While the idea of ​​having fresh eggs every morning may sound enticing, it’s also important to weigh the pros and cons and consider the responsibility of raising healthy chickens.

For cost reasons, those thinking of buying a few chicks should also consider why they are taking on the responsibility. For hobbies? For the health? For profit?

The latter, Moreno says, is quite difficult for farmers, let alone the average homeowner.

“I do not know how [small-time farmers] could survive unless they live on something else,” he said. “Not many do it part-time to make a living full-time. There are some, but very few.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Diane Kreider spent her Pennsylvania Farm Show at the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association booth spinning yarn from the wool of her alpacas. Seventeen years ago, that time would probably have been spent on a stage or lugging props around the sets.

With a teaching degree and a part-time job she didn’t love, Kreider found an ad in a newspaper for Sight & Sound Theaters. She had been dancing since she was a teenager and was part of stage productions in high school, so she decided to audition, which led to her first career.

While working for Sight & Sound in Lancaster County, she sang, danced and acted in Hold the Lamb, Eternal Flame, Noah, Joys of Christmas and Miracles of Christmas to name a few . She was also an assistant director on Colors of Praise and later became a property manager.

“The theater was just something that always interested me. It’s very community oriented. I’ve made a lot of friends,” said Kreider.

The mission of the Christian theater group added to the joy.

“I love the work they have done. It was probably my favorite job ever.”

But she began to distance herself from the demands of the theater when she and her husband made plans to have children. She went to appointments that were difficult to fit into her work schedule.

Then, after they adopted two children, 9/11 happened.

“I wanted more of that quiet, safer life for my girls,” Kreider said. “I like the idea of ​​my kids having the experience of farm life, caring for animals, and the responsibility and just freedom that comes with owning the land.”

Kreider said she has been involved with farming her entire life, coming from a family with Amish roots and spending a lot of time with Plain Sect farmers.

When she decided to transition to farming, alpacas were the gateway. She had seen them at fairs and the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and she knew how to knit and crochet.

With a few books, trial and error, and the help of friends, she learned how to spin her wool into yarn. Now she sells everything from roving wool – for others to spin or for textile art projects – to yarn and finished products.

Today, their Lancaster County farm, Nine Patch Farm, has four alpacas, three heifers, goats, chickens, a guinea pig and a horse. Not only does she raise the alpacas for wool, she milks her goats and produces eggs. And this year was her first year for raising meat birds.

Most of the farm is designed to provide for her family and some neighbors. She uses the goat’s milk at home, makes yogurt and raises her meat chickens for her family and friends. She used to sell eggs to neighbors and friends until the cost of feeding them became too much to justify the expense.

She refers to her heifers as “glorified pets,” but the alpacas help express their creative side and bring revenue to the farm. Kreider also works a part-time job, and her husband has a full-time job off the farm.

She is currently looking for an Angora goat for the mohair she uses in needle felting, a skill she learned from YouTube videos.

Farm expansion plans include installing electric fences on more acreage and clearing land to expand pastures.

Even though she’s no longer on stage, Kreider strives to bring creativity and community into her life. She chose her farm name – Nine Patch Farm – in reference to the versatile quilting pattern.

“I wanted the name of my farm to reflect my heritage and the creativity of fiber arts because there are so many things you can do with them,” she said.

While a return to theater is not anytime soon due to family commitments, Kreider makes costumes for Dayspring Christian Academy’s stage productions.

Their products are offered for sale at various fiber festivals. More information can be found on the farm’s Facebook page.

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Leaders in Kansas and Oklahoma have moved to block the inclusion of the smaller prairie chicken in the Endangered Species Act.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (r-can.) says he and Sens. Jerry Moran (r-can.), James Inhofe (r-ocla.) and James Lankford (r-ocla.) along with the U.S. Rep Tracey Mann (R-KS), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Ron Estes (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK), joined together to pass a Joint Congressional Review Act resolution condemning the recent listing of the lesser prairie chicken under the Species Protection Act.

“The recent listing of the lesser prairie chicken is terrible for the Kansas economy but great for the climate activists who have way too much leverage over President Biden. Private ownership in the LPC area might as well be federal if this egregious policy goes into effect,” Marshall said. “While high inflation is our nation’s biggest challenge, this listing will increase financial hardship for the Kansans who raise cattle for their hamburgers and drill oil for their gas.” This president says cutting costs is a priority, but once again makes decisions that do the exact opposite.”

Marshall noted that the measure would prevent the listing from taking effect when the CRA resolution goes into effect.

“The decision to list the lesser prairie chicken as threatened will negatively impact key industries in our state and place unnecessary restrictions on farmers, ranchers and energy producers,” Moran noted. “Kansas and the surrounding states have contributed millions of public and private dollars to the bird’s successful habitat conservation and population increase. The listing of the lesser prairie chicken will harm our state’s wildlife conservation efforts going forward by removing any incentive for similar local efforts.”

Marshall said the CRA is part of a multi-pronged approach to halt the listing of lesser prairie chickens announced in early December.

“Farming and energy producers in Kansas are already suffering from failed Biden administration policies and onerous state regulations,” Rep. LaTurner said. “The decision by Washington bureaucrats to designate the lesser prairie chicken as an endangered species is entirely unnecessary given the success of landowner and state efforts to restore LPC habitat. All this ruthless listing creates is extra red tape that makes it harder for hard-working Kansanians to succeed.”

On May 21, 2021, Marshall noted that he and Moran had joined colleagues in urging US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland not to list the LPC under the ESA.

“I refuse to sit idly by while the United States Fish and Wildlife Service imposes onerous regulations on producers without the help of Congress,” Mann said. “The designation of the lesser prairie chicken as an endangered species in places like Kansas is unacceptable. This resolution calls for an outright rejection of this rule, which should have no force or effect until Congress has been consulted. At a time when inflation is at a 40-year high and families are struggling to fuel their cars while food stays on the table, we should be working to remove obstacles to the agriculture and energy sectors, not crippling hard-working Americans through government incursions. As this rule threatens the livelihoods of the men and women who feed, fuel and clothe us all, I hope all my colleagues in Congress will join me in refusing to accept it.”

On July 16, 2021, Marshall also said that he, Moran and Mann led another group of colleagues to request a 90-day extension of the comment period for the LPC’s proposed listing.

“We have seen time and time again the Biden administration enforcing their over-the-top and onerous regulations on the lives of hard-working Kansans. The recent classification of the lesser prairie chicken is another example of how bureaucrats in Washington are being used to dictate how Kansas residents live and work. Midwestern farmers, ranchers, and energy producers have made great strides in preserving our land and protecting our natural resources. Now Congress must rein in these runaway regulators and restore the rights of ranchers and energy producers in Kansas,” Estes said.

To learn more about efforts to stop listing of the lesser prairie chicken, click HERE.

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Twelve months ago, when the Omicron variant of COVID-10 emerged, people insisted on dining al fresco on heated patios. By April, masks had (mostly) been removed and people were once again crowding bars and restaurants. But things have not returned to normal. In fact, 2022 was the most turbulent year for the restaurant industry since the pandemic began.

Restaurant consultants Baum + Whiteman have made some predictions for Utah in 2023: Upscale restaurants with white tablecloths are booked; Fast-casual chains are doing great; small to medium sized independent businesses are struggling.

The research firm also noted, “If you look at the number of newly opened luxury private clubs, … you would think we were back in the Roaring Twenties.” That’s true locally, too, with the opening of the 30,000-square-foot private social club Edison House on December 5th.

Oh, and butter boards are so 2022.

Here are our top food stories from the past year and some thoughts on what that could mean for the next 12 months.

10. Cideries

Not long ago, Utah only had a handful of cideries: The Hive and Mountain West in Salt Lake City and Etta Place in Torrey. Just last year, the Scion Cider Bar opened in the Granary area, and at least three other ciders are set to open soon: Six Sailor Cider, Thieves Guild Cider, and Second Summit Hard Cider Company, all in Salt Lake City.

Long a go-to for those with gluten allergies, cider is now being discovered by people who realize it sits in a refined gap between wine and beer, with a range of different flavors. As the Scion Cider Bar told us (look for a story in the New Year), Utah’s apple growers and cideries are a tight-knit community dedicated to introducing interesting new beers and making quality ciders in small batches.

9. Chicken, chicken and more chicken

This summer we rounded up the best chicken tenders in Utah. One of the most popular spots for anything chicken, tender, or otherwise is Pretty Bird, which has expanded its Utah locations and plans to eventually go statewide. Chicken restaurants are arriving in droves, including new locations for national chains Crack Shack (the newest is in Riverton), Raising Caines, El Pollo Loco, and Slim Chickens. Of course, another big development this year was bird flu…which could put a damper on things.

8. Restaurants in mixed-use condominiums

It’s hard not to walk in the shadow of the cranes these days as development is booming across Salt Lake, including the Post District, the Granary District and the two Maven Districts. Most are anchored by food businesses, including Woodbine Food Hall in the Granary and Urban Hill in the Post District.

7. Healthy fast-casual restaurants

Two Utah restaurants — Aubergine Kitchen and Vessel — expanded rapidly this year. Both emphasize “elevated casual” super-healthy eating, with Aubergine refusing to serve anything containing refined sugar (including the drinks), and Vessel emphasizing local produce. In a semi-related development, West Valley-based Trü Frü, which covers fresh fruit with chocolate, has just been acquired by Mars, the conglomerate that makes Snickers and M&M’s, which is trying to expand its (relatively) healthy offering.

6. Accessible fine dining

The first restaurant in Salt Lake City that really succeeded in making high-end dining more accessible and casual was Pago — but there are plenty of new restaurants in the city that follow this model, including Aqua Terra in City Creek Center (which bills itself as ). offering “affordable luxury”); Italian graffiti in the gateway; March | Muntanya at the Hyatt; and Urban Hill in the Postal District.

5. An ongoing Spirits Commission deathmatch

DABS presented its final bar license to Proper Brewing in Moab during its December convention. It now has three licenses remaining until next July. That is, unless the Utah Legislature finds a way to increase the number of licenses. Considering they decided in the eleventh hour to strip the Commission of the power to vote on returning mini-bottles to liquor stores, that doesn’t seem likely – and the line for licenses just keeps growing.

4. Food companies run like tech startups

Local food companies are increasingly being set up with the ambition to become a national brand from the start; Established companies are also moving in this direction. These include WannaCinn, Swig, Beans & Brews, Banbury Cross Donuts, Laziz Kitchen and CupBop. (The last of these, CupBop, even went on “Shark Tank,” a real startup move.)

The only outliers this year were Squatters and Wasatch Breweries, although the beers are now managed by one company, Monster Beverage, and the restaurants and taprooms are now owned and managed by the original founders.

3. Big losses in the food scene

In 2022, Utah shed its share of food icons, including Kitty Pappas, who ran her eponymous steakhouse in Woods Cross; Greg Skedros, who directed The Mandarin in Bountiful for decades; and Richard Wood of Fernwood Candy.

The most profound impact may be the death in September of Valter Nassi, whose restaurants introduced Utah residents to authentic Italian cuisine, raised the bar for local restaurants, and helped the city take a quantum leap into a far more sophisticated way of eating and drinking. He also had a profound impact on everyone he came in contact with, as his many friends and admirers would attest.

2. The continued loss of small businesses

Think of it as losing a niche species in an ecosystem: every time Utah loses a place like Lee’s Market or Hector’s, it means we’re that much closer to becoming a food monoculture. It looks like Utah’s first James Beard Award semifinalist, Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm in Boulder, will pull through with a little help from his friends — but because of the supply chain slowdown, skyrocketing food prices, and customers still not ready Eating out to restaurants, it gets worse before it gets better.

1. Survival of the innovative

As depressing as that last point was, Utah is also a hotbed of food and beverage innovators who are surviving the current harsh conditions in the industry through flexibility and creativity.

Eve Cohen of Marcellus Foods is expected to open her low-waste grocery store in 2023, and Salt Lake City is also set to get its first food co-op after years of waiting. Even the old favorite Utah workout table, which announced its return this year, is changing its approach with food trucks and an online store.

Though small brick-and-mortar restaurants are struggling, tiny, nimble food companies — including ghost kitchens, food trucks, and independent chefs who reach out to customers via the web and Instagram — are holding steady. The other thing that helps these companies survive is collaboration within our vibrant food and beverage community, whether on a case-by-case basis or through more formal support and advocacy.

A recent mobile canning project means a few tons of processed meat for people with food insecurity and a welcome reconnection between communities after pandemic isolation.

“We were glad that we could repeat that; it’s time to connect with our neighbors,” said Dennis Wurtz, a member of Elmendorf Christian Church in southern Watonwan County.

Wurtz’ colony is one of many groups that have been combining their efforts in an annual humanitarian project for many years. The canning event has been paused for three years due to COVID restrictions and bird flu precautions.

About 6,000 cans of diced poultry meat were processed during the charity marathon between 7 a.m. Thursday and 3 p.m. Friday at the compound of an independent Anabaptist church, 8 miles southeast of Mountain Lake.

“Some of the meat goes to Ukraine, a lot of our ancestors came from what is now Ukraine in the 1870s,” said Gordon Harder, a semi-retired farmer who is an amateur Mennonite historian.

The canning project closes a “great circle of connection” between his community and its roots in Europe. Mennonite immigrants came to the Plains States and western Canada in part because they feared male members would be drafted into Russian military service.

“We are against war because we are Christians,” Harder said, describing the religious tenets of his congregation.

During World War II, Mennonite conscientious objectors served not as soldiers but as firefighters in California or cared for patients in mental institutions in the United States.

Harder said the congregations had begun sending food to these young Mennonites. This practice of providing food for their young, along with an earlier program that provided assistance to needy relatives overseas, is the origin of the Mennonite Central Committee’s canning projects in various locations in North America.

Elmendorf made the large building on the community site available for the youngest cannery. Inside, crews brought diced raw chicken towards MCC’s mobile cannery, which was stationed next to the building.

As in past canning days, Wurtz allowed the sixth graders he teaches a few hours off class to help out. It is not uncommon for the sight and smell of canned goods to have a transient effect on young participants.

“Some of them said their stomachs were sensitive and they didn’t realize they wouldn’t feel like eating for a few days,” said Ramont Harder, a volunteer coordinator on site.

Volunteer participation was good this year.

“Sometimes it seemed like we had too many people; at other times we seemed understaffed. Everything turned out well in the end,” he said.

The number of cans processed this year is down from the estimated 8,000 produced in 2019. Chicken price was a factor in the decline; However, the total cost was not as high as expected, Ramont Harder said.

Several veterans of the project dedicated their service to cleaning up afterwards, and he was happy to see a few returning volunteers in their 80s.

By Saturday morning, Elemendorf’s building was back in order and the mobile canning machine drove down the street to its next destination. The wrapped cans are transported to a storage location where they await shipment to those in need.

Ramont doesn’t know when and how Ukrainians will receive the locally donated food, but the cans will likely be sent to Poland first.

“Everything is difficult nowadays,” he said, referring to the logistics of getting help for Ukrainians.

California-based El Pollo Loco is looking to enter the Kansas City market.

The fire broiled chicken restaurant chain has signed a franchise deal for eight locations in the area to open over the next decade. The first locations are expected to open in late 2023 in Kansas City and Olathe.

The chicken at El Pollo Loco is marinated daily in-house with a secret recipe of citrus, garlic and spices, then flame grilled and hand-sliced ​​to order.

The chicken is a base for a variety of dishes, including individual and family meals, bowls, burritos, and salads.

Dishes on the menu include poblano stuffed chicken quesadillas, tostada salads, queso blanco burritos, street tacos, shredded avocado stuffed quesadillas with beef avocado, fries and guacamole, chicken tortilla soup, and macaroni Cheese, salads and churros as well as children’s menus.

The area franchisee, EPL Missouri LLC of Kansas City, has a background in restaurant, grocery, liquor and gas station operations. They currently own several grocery and liquor stores, including Midtown Market.

Shawn Choudry, one of EPL Missouri’s partners, liked that the chain was new to the Kansas and Missouri markets.

“We love the food. I grew up with it in California. And I love how it treats its employees like family and they give us a lot of comfort and support as franchisees,” he said.

His son, Sameer Choudry, 20, will manage operations. In addition to Kansas City and Olathe, they will also search in cities such as Lawrence, Topeka and Jefferson City.

The new Area locations will be equipped with a prototype designed to meet demand for to-go orders. They can have dining rooms that open onto patios, digital menu boards, drive-thrus, and “Pollo To-Go” cubbies for mobile to-go and delivery orders.

The restaurants will be around 2,400 square meters and will seat around 50 people.

Founded in 1980, Costa Mesa-based El Pollo Loco has more than 485 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas and Utah.