The Price of Eggs in China

[Terrel L. Shields]

The chicken breasts I get from the grocery store here taste

Raised broilers during High School and college - in the 50s you kept birds to 12 weeks to get a 3.5# bird. They refined the genetics and feed programs to get that size bird in 8 weeks in the 60s. To get a 4# bird took 10 weeks nearly. Today in 7 weeks the birds are now 7# and larger. Ridiculous size - they weigh 5# dressed and are about the size of a 2 year old hen from some breeds. Cornish? The "Cornish" hen you buy in the store is not a small bird breed. Nope. It is the same old broilers only they are slaughtered as baby birds - about 29 days old max. Contrary to most thought, few chemicals are needed. Birds don't respond to chemicals when they are fed such a high protein and fat diet as they get. That's what a Tyson "nut" (nutritionist) told me. The birds are just soft, fat, mushy meat because when you are stuffed full of food, you don't exercise - whether bird or human. And most "pasture" raised birds are still enclosed in movable pens that are drug from one patch of grass to another after a couple of days. The feed and water is still the same.

 

[Fernando]

I grew up on a chicken farm. The chicken breasts I get from the grocery store here taste like the chicken poop I smelled back then when I was gathering eggs in the hen house. Can't get excited about taste of chicken here.
Large eggs at Stater Brothers Grocery yesterday, 1 doz for $6, $9 for 18. Gonna make a cheesecake. Mmmm... Lotsa eggs. Cheesecake tastier than chicken.

My wife knows her chicken. She makes me buy the expensive chicken when she wants good chicken.

 

[Sandra Koutsopoulos]

A few days ago, my husband said people are LEASING out their chickens, presumably for folks to have fresh eggs from their own back yards. I don't know the going rate, but in my neighborhood, they'd have to include a secure chicken coop to keep out the hawks, owls and coyotes. 'Free range' chickens here would create a lunchroom for carnivores. Could get more 'spensive than $6/doz eggs in the grocery store.

 

[Michael S]

I grew up on a chicken farm. The chicken breasts I get from the grocery store here taste like the chicken poop I smelled back then when I was gathering eggs in the hen house. Can't get excited about taste of chicken here.
Large eggs at Stater Brothers Grocery yesterday, 1 doz for $6, $9 for 18. Gonna make a cheesecake. Mmmm... Lotsa eggs. Cheesecake tastier than chicken.

I just paid $2.54 for a dozen at the commissary - an 18-pack was actually more expensive per unit.

We normally buy the box of 15-dozen at Costco but last week there were all out. They only had a small number of 5-dozen "cage free" eggs that were about $15. I think our last box of 15-dozen was around $38 - up from about $18 a year or two ago (pre-inflation and avian flu).

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

She makes me buy the expensive chicken when she wants good chicken.

What is that? I mean be it "pasture" "organic" "free-range" or grown in a house, the birds are fed a high protein and fat diet, and grow out in short times (7 weeks or less) and the taste is indistinguishable. The organic chicken is supposed to have fewer chemicals or horomones.

From the Today show

Hormone free: Many chicken brands label product packaging with "no added hormones." Sounds pretty good, right? Taub-Dix told TODAY that this is basically a total marketing ploy and doesn't really mean anything since both the FDA and USDA made adding hormones to poultry and pigs illegal in 1952. So, if you're deciding between two types of chicken and the more expensive brand claims that it's free of hormones, you can opt for the cheaper brand here.​

 

[ucbruin]

Would egg prices drop if folks simply stopped (temporarily) buying eggs to alleviate supply/demand issues....
Allow producers to replenish their hen population....
Or would that hurt their ability to purchase more hens....

 

[djd09]

100,000 chickens die in Bozrah egg farm fire: Salvation Army​

BOZRAH, Conn. (WFSB) - Crews battled a massive 3-alarm fire at an egg farm in Bozrah.

Officials said the fire was at Hillandale Farms on Schwartz Road.

Officials say a 400′x50′ chicken coop was lost, but another 13 chicken coops were saved during the fire.

The Salvation Army Canteen One is on the scene providing Grilled Cheese and soup.

Around 100,000 chickens may have died in the fire, according to the Salvation Army.

In total, 21 fire departments responded to the fire. Firefighters were on scene for 8 hours on Saturday battling the blaze.

About 100,000 hens die in Bozrah egg farm fire, CT Dept. of Agriculture estimates

Crews battled a massive 3-alarm fire at an egg farm in Bozrah over the weekend.

www.wfsb.com

 

[Vermonter]

100,000 chickens die in Bozrah egg farm fire: Salvation Army​

BOZRAH, Conn. (WFSB) - Crews battled a massive 3-alarm fire at an egg farm in Bozrah.

Officials said the fire was at Hillandale Farms on Schwartz Road.

Officials say a 400′x50′ chicken coop was lost, but another 13 chicken coops were saved during the fire.

The Salvation Army Canteen One is on the scene providing Grilled Cheese and soup.

Around 100,000 chickens may have died in the fire, according to the Salvation Army.

In total, 21 fire departments responded to the fire. Firefighters were on scene for 8 hours on Saturday battling the blaze.

About 100,000 hens die in Bozrah egg farm fire, CT Dept. of Agriculture estimates

Crews battled a massive 3-alarm fire at an egg farm in Bozrah over the weekend.

www.wfsb.com

100k is nothing for a chicken farm. We had one catch fire and lost 2 million chickens 4 or 5 years ago

 

[Fernando]

The idea of an egg shortage is making people buy more eggs. Reminds me of the toilet paper shortage during Covid.
At Costco, I couldn't believe people buying so much eggs in their carts. Usually runs out by end of day.
I got too many eggs in my fridge. Forced myself to eat 2 eggs yesterday and 2 today before expiration date.
Ugh..and I'm not usually an egg eater.

 

[Fernando]

What is that? I mean be it "pasture" "organic" "free-range" or grown in a house, the birds are fed a high protein and fat diet, and grow out in short times (7 weeks or less) and the taste is indistinguishable. The organic chicken is supposed to have fewer chemicals or horomones.

From the Today show

Hormone free: Many chicken brands label product packaging with "no added hormones." Sounds pretty good, right? Taub-Dix told TODAY that this is basically a total marketing ploy and doesn't really mean anything since both the FDA and USDA made adding hormones to poultry and pigs illegal in 1952. So, if you're deciding between two types of chicken and the more expensive brand claims that it's free of hormones, you can opt for the cheaper brand here.​

When my wife wants premium chicken, she tells me to go to certain places to get it. It does taste better. She knows her chicken.
My wife can tell the Costco $4.99 chicken is low quality so I don't buy it even though it's cheap.