With egg shortages at grocers, North Texans are discovering another option: Local farms
It has become a familiar sight to grocery shoppers — picked over, if not bare, store shelves where eggs are supposed to be.
And if you are lucky enough to find eggs in stock, the prices on them are enough to make shoppers think twice.
The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has decimated flocks across the country since it was first detected in February 2022. Millions of birds have been killed, straining egg supplies for everyone from backyard producers and large commercial farms.
Consumer prices for eggs are now at an all-time high with demand still outweighing supply. Some Texas stores have even limited the amount of eggs customers can purchase.
As consumers scramble to get eggs without breaking the bank, some are starting their own backyard chicken flocks. Though it doesn’t always result in savings, about 11 million households in the U.S. have backyard flocks, up from about 5.8 million in 2018.
Other shoppers are turning to local farmers. The shortage has been a boon for small producers across the country, including North Texas, as consumers seek out alternatives to sparse offerings at grocery stores. With U.S. wholesale prices for cartoned eggs delivered to retailers about $8.23 per dozen as of Feb. 14, the typical premium to buy locally raised eggs from small farms doesn’t seem that much a stretch.
Michael Jimenez, who has a pasture-raised egg operation in Wise County, said in early February he gained about 20 new customers in just one week to his subscription business.
“It’s like, every day it’s another one, or it’s another three, another five. So right now, I can keep up with the demand, so I love it. It’s amazing,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez started JMZ Farms in 2022. Located in Bridgeport, about an hour northwest of Fort Worth, the 22-year-old’s farm is now home to 500 hens.
Jimenez’s heritage-breed flock lays about 200 rainbow-hued eggs each day. They spend their days wandering in a large pasture surrounded by an electric fence and guarded by dogs Gunner and Apollo, who fend off coyotes and wild birds.
Jimenez originally sold his eggs at farmers markets but has since transitioned to a direct-to-consumer business model. His roughly 111 subscribers across the Metroplex can choose to receive four- or six-dozen eggs a month.
A dozen eggs is about $13, which includes delivery.
Jimenez said commercial egg farming differs significantly from his operation and creates a stressful environment for birds, which can harm egg production. Chickens on commercial farms may not be exposed to sunlight, and even chickens on commercial “pasture-raised” farms don’t live on traditional pastures, like Jimenez’s flock.
In January, Jimenez moved his farm from five acres in Colleyville to the 25-acre property in Bridgeport. He plans to build new coops and purchase an additional 500 hens this year. He and his investors have put over $517,000 into the business. Jimenez, the farm’s sole employee, also works full-time as an accountant for Goosehead Insurance in Westlake. He aims to one day make farming his full-time job.
Though his customer base is growing, Jimenez does not plan to increase prices. He said the majority of his customers are health-conscious buyers, many of whom are women with children.
“Once they try my eggs, it’s like they can taste the difference between that and regular store-bought eggs,” he said. “So it’s like, they want JMZ Farms now, they have to have JMZ Farms or it doesn’t taste right.”
He and other chicken farmers are concerned about bird flu, but he’s taking measures like making sure his flock has clean food and water and doesn’t come into contact with wild birds. He uses only organic bird feed.
“Anything is possible, so you always want to make sure you’re being careful no matter what. Of course, you always have a fear that something’s going to happen, but you can only prep, and you just make sure you take the right biodiversity measures, make sure you’re not going in there with dirty boots. You’re doing everything clean,” Jimenez said.
Another Wise County farmer, Sandy Horne of Windview Chicken Ranch, describes the egg shortage as a blessing and a curse.
“It’s good that a lot of people are wanting to come directly to the farm,” Horne said. “We’re seeing a lot of new customers, and that’s a wonderful thing. I always hate when I’m sold out on something, and then I can’t take care of that customer. So in that aspect, it’s bad, because we just can’t produce as much as what the demand is right now.”
Horne sells her eggs at Windview’s farm store, which also offers chicken, beef and locally produced items like bread and salsa. Eggs are one of the most popular products.
“It’s funny, if I’m sold out of eggs, I have customers that will wait until I have eggs back in stock to come, and then they’ll buy the eggs and they’ll buy the meat,” Horne said.
Horne does a few egg subscriptions, but says she’s wary of offering more in case she’s unable to fulfill orders. Unlike commercial farms, she doesn’t put her chickens under lights to prevent their natural molting cycles, during which hens typically lay fewer eggs.
“We just try to do everything as natural as possible, and give the animals the best life that they can have while they’re here in as natural of a setting as we can provide for them,” Horne said.
Her 11-acre farm near Boyd about a 40-minute drive from Fort Worth, is home to between 250 and 300 egg-laying hens and 900 to 1,500 chickens raised for meat. The land adjoins her parents’ 140-acre property — her family has called Boyd home for almost 30 years.
Horne’s birds lay about 100 eggs a day, but she expects that number to reach 150 to 175 as the days lengthen.
Horne keeps her chickens raised for meat and egg-laying birds separated, but both flocks spend time outdoors every day, which she said helps keep them healthy. To protect against bird flu, she is limiting the number of people who enter her chicken coop, keeping the environment clean and feeding her flock high-quality food.
Horne said the threat of bird flu is worrisome, but many farmers who are taking precautions are not living in fear of the virus.
Farming costs have gone up significantly since Horne got her first chicken in 2020. A 50-pound bag of feed is about $4 more than was four years ago; Horne uses about 4 tons per month.
Horne has raised prices due to higher expenses, most recently in December when her eggs went from $6.50 to $7 per dozen.
Customers have remained loyal, and new customers seeking local eggs have boosted business. Windview’s farm store now limits shoppers to four or six dozen eggs after some wanted large orders that would have depleted her stock.
Expanding to meet demand is no easy task — chicks take about five to six months to start producing. Horne aims to get another 50 to 100 birds and is building a new coop that will be able to house about 60 chickens. She said her operation would likely reach maximum capacity at 400 to 500 egg-laying hens.
Flocks decimated by flu
The virus, which originated in wild birds, sparked the outbreak when it began spreading to domesticated fowl. Over 1.8 million birds in Texas have been affected since then, almost all of which were at a commercial farm in Parmer County, according to the USDA. The agency reports that no cases have been detected in Texas flocks since Jan. 9. Bird flu was detected in small backyard flocks in Dallas, Denton, Rockwall and Ellis counties in 2022 and 2023.
Bird flu began infecting dairy cattle last year; there have been 27 confirmed cases of the virus in dairy cows in Texas since March 2024, USDA data shows.
Some humans have also been infected, but experts say those who work on farms or with livestock are primarily at risk. Since March 24, 68 cases have been detected in humans, one of whom was in Texas.
Greg Archer, a professor and poultry extension specialist at Texas A&M University, said the bird flu virus doesn’t survive well at temperatures above 90 degrees, which may have stopped some of the spread in Texas.
There are no known commercial outbreaks in Texas at the moment, but Archer said experts are concerned that wild migrations this spring could cause the virus to spread. One of the top five egg producing states, Texas produces about 6.6 billion eggs annually.
Archer hopes prices will start lowering later this year, but it will take time to return to the level seen before the outbreak of bird flu. Farmers of broilers are also worried about a worsening outbreak, though price increases from culling those birds have not yet hit consumer wallets.
“We have a lot of chickens here, so if it hits us, it could become pretty bad,” Archer said.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM.
