The price of eggs has backyard farmers flocking to take a crack at raising their own chickens to secure a steady supply of eggs.

Chick season kicked off in mid-February around the Tri-Cities, and the baby birds have been in high demand.

Managers at Ranch & Home and Basin Feed & Supply in Kennewick saw a spike in people wanting to raise chickens during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the demand has remained steady since then.

Pasco’s Wilco store posted signs on its front doors in late February to let customers know they had sold out of chicks, but that the next flock was expected soon. Wilco declined to comment for this story.

Ranch & Home stocks between 800 to 1,200 chicks each week, and they’ve been selling quickly. 

Andy White, the store’s animal health and tack manager, said that customers are usually waiting in line early in the morning to get the chicks when a batch arrives. 

It’s easy to find them in the store, just follow the sound of the peeping.

“Everyone’s been wanting to do their own eggs,” she said. 

Every year beginners want to raise chickens, but there are more of them lately due to the high price of eggs, White said. Ranch & Home has a table of information ready to help out anyone new to raising chickens, but it’s important for customers to be prepared before buying the chicks. 

Raising chickens isn’t a short-term endeavor – it takes six months for them to start laying eggs, and they need proper housing and food, she said. Like any pet, chickens need to be cared for.

And with rising cases of bird flu sweeping the nation, safety precautions also need to be taken. 

After factoring in chicken feed and other costs, it might not be any cheaper than buying eggs outright, said Cara Shepherd, manager at Basin Feed & Supply. 

It’s also important to check your city’s regulations regarding backyard poultry. 

Stocking chickens

It’s been difficult for stores to stock their chicks. Ranch & Home and Basin Feed & Supply both order their chicks months in advance, but it could be difficult for customers to secure chicks if they are just now placing orders.

It can still be a challenge for the stores to get the chicks they ordered. White said that there could be fewer – or none – available, and staff have to check the status weekly.

White said it’s also difficult to pre-order or special order for customers, so the chicks are typically first-come, first-serve. 

Pricing is typically based on breed. On the cheap end, chicks might cost between $4 and $7. Specialty breeds might run between $12 and $20. 

Both Basin Feed & Supply and Ranch & Home also sell incubators for those who wish to buy and hatch their own eggs.

Millions of birds have been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza since its first detection in the U.S. in 2022, and human cases of bird flu have been confirmed as well.

| Photo by Rachel Visick

Chicks are generally sold through June at Basin Feed & Supply and typically arrive by truck, Shepherd said. 

Day-old chicks can be shipped through the U.S. Postal Service. According to USPS’ postal facts website, chicks can be safely shipped without food or water within 72 hours of hatching. 

“Thousands of chicks are transported through the U.S. Mail seamlessly every year,” the website states. USPS has been working with hatcheries for more than 100 years to safely ship chicks.

Bird flu safety

The Tri-City farm and feed stores take the safety of their employees and customers seriously. Employees wash their hands frequently and signs are posted to encourage handwashing. Both stores have information available about bird flu and safety. 

While humans generally have a low risk of becoming sick from avian influenza according to the Washington State Department of Health, it can spread rapidly among birds and is often fatal. 

Highly pathogenic bird flu has been rampant in recent years since its first detection in the U.S. in 2022. 

Since that time, more than 168 million birds across the country have been affected, including 2 million in three commercial Franklin County flocks, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the Franklin County outbreaks, affecting 307,800 birds, occurred in late January of this year. 

Humans can also contract bird flu, and there have been 70 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the U.S. since 2024, 11 of which occurred in Washington, according to the CDC. At least two of those cases were in Franklin County. 

The outbreak and subsequent culling of affected chickens have sent the price of eggs soaring across the country.

State health experts recommend separating new birds from a flock for 30 days, preventing wild birds and other wildlife from coming into contact with chickens, knowing the warning signs of bird diseases and reporting sick birds, among other measures. 

Chickens also can carry salmonella, and it’s best to keep children from nuzzling or cuddling chicks or touching their mouths after handling the birds. Handwashing is an important measure to keep disease from spreading. 

Signs posted in English and Spanish at the Kennewick Ranch & Home caution customers not to touch the chicks, and a limited number of customers are allowed in the area at a given time. Only the employees handle them, scooping them up and into boxes for the customers to take home.

While California State Veterinarian Annette Jones banned all California poultry and dairy cattle exhibitions at fairs and shows due to the bird flu, Washington has not issued a ban, and it is still too early to know what the status will be at the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo in August. The fair’s poultry barn showcases hundreds of chickens and other birds raised by youth every year. Fair officials said they are in contact with veterinarians at the state Department of Agriculture.