AUSTIN, Texas —
As people are struggling with the price of eggs, there are other options for them, including local farms and a way to take matters into your own hands.
Sam Moffett owns Shirttail Creek Farms and sells his eggs at his store, Local Pastures, as well as local farmers' markets.
"They've gone up with inflation this year, but we haven't had to hike the price anywhere near what other egg producers have had to do," Moffett said. "Most locally produced eggs that you can get from farmers like me are raised on pasture. So those are healthier birds to begin with. The bulk of the avian flu infections that have happened in the U.S. have happened with large confinement."
Another option is to raise your own and collect your own eggs.
"It's very possible and a really excellent alternative to buying store-bought eggs," Chelsea Combs said. "Austin is a great place to raise chickens, and you really don't need a ton of space to do it."
Combs recently launched her business, "Chicken Tenders ATX," where she helps people get their backyard farms started and raise them from chicks. She said Austin is becoming very chicken-friendly.
"It's definitely doable, and it's so much fun and rewarding," Mary Richards said.
She and her family have had chickens for two years, with help from Combs' business.
Combs said she's so grateful for her pets and doesn't even notice when the price of eggs goes up.
"I mean, with everybody trying to save so much right now with inflation, it's one less thing to have to worry about or think about," Combs said.
While it may have been a learning curve to start, she said it's been an "egg-cellent" decision.