What You Need To Know About Raising Chickens VS Buying Eggs In MT

• As of writing, the average price of eggs in Montana is $5.46/dozen
• As of January 2025 more than 20 million chickens have been killed in America due to bird flu
• Interest in backyard chickens in Montana is skyrocketing

Egg Prices: One Of The Hottest Topics In Montana

One of the hottest topics in Montana seems to be egg prices. We're rocking 6 bucks a dozen as the average price. I see a few folks on line talking about how they're going to raise their own chickens to combat high egg prices.

As a kid who raised chickens, I'm not so sure that would actually be cheaper, so I dug into it.

A First Hand Account: Open Letter To Those Interested In Raising Chickens In Montana

Things To Keep In Mind On Your Chicken Journey

• Check your city or county chicken laws. It would suck to spend all that money for nothing
• Require daily care
• Require medical care
• Very smart
• Aren't always nice and can be very aggressive
• Live around 10 years
• There is a"sweet spot" of around 2 years where they produce the most eggs

Pioneer Chicks Have A Great List Of What You Need

The Pioneer Chicks have a great page to get you started.  They go anything from chicks and up, I'm going from fully grown laying hens. The prices quoted will be the lowest I can find on the internet. They didn't have anything about lighting, so I'd ask your local co-op about that.  We had light bulbs running in our coop on the farm.

Basics To Get Started Raising Chickens:

• Laying Hens
• Chicken coop
• Roosts
• Droppings board
• Nesting boxes
• Enclosure
• Cleaning supplies
• Water/Feeders
• Litter (Sand, shells,straw, large flake wood shavings)
• Crushed oyster shells/oyster shell dispenser
• Grit Bin
• Dust Bath (loose sand or dirt)
• Optional, wire and carabiners 

To get a dozen a week, you need 3-5 Laying Hens. Not every chicken is the same.

This Isn't The Ugliest Statue In Montana, Is It? See It Here

Grand total you'd need about $500-$600 to START raising enough chickens to get one dozen eggs a week. It can be months before you get even one egg.

Care And Feeding Of Your Montana Chicken

There is a lot of care and feeding that goes into being a chicken rancher. Click here to get an idea of what goes into it.

Neglect and abuse can result in sub par eggs, no eggs or bloody spots in your eggs.

Predators Are Plentiful

There are a lot of animals that like eating chickens.  It can range from larger birds like hawks, to dogs, coyotes and foxes, even cute little weasels want your eggs. Don't forget about bears, raccoons and skunks. Click here for the top 10 list.

As with any animal, make sure you are willing to devote time EVERY day.  If you're gone, make sure you're willing to pay someone to care for them.

Sources: The Pioneer Chicks, Greenlight, The List Wire, US News, Backyard Chicken Project