High egg prices ruffling your feathers? Is building your own chicken coop worth it?

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MIDDLETON, Wis. (CBS 58) – Due to the avian bird flu, combined with rising costs, the price of a carton of eggs has more than doubled in the past year.

It’s ruffled some feathers across Wisconsin, prompting more people to become interested in starting their own backyard chicken coop.

But is building your own flock worth it?

For Jill McLeod, raising chickens steps from their house in Middleton is a family affair. It’s something McLeod, her husband and two daughters have been doing for 16 years.

“Chickens have their own personalities and that's one of the big perks of learning your chickens,” said McLeod. “You kind of grow an attachment to them.”

McLeod sympathizes with those paying high egg prices at the store and while it may tempt you to start your own backyard flock, she said make sure you do your homework first.

“You’re going to have to be patient because they don't start laying right away,” McLeod said.

“The less light there is, the less egg production there is. Most chickens go off the lay in winter months, so you're looking at almost a whole year before you actually have eggs, unless you buy pullets, which are 1-year-old chickens, all set and ready to go.”

You also have to consider the cost. From building a coop to feeding the chickens, it could cost more than you think, McLeod said.

Health risks are also involved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says bacteria can live on birds which can spread easily to humans' clothes, hands or shoes. This can result in people getting themselves, or others sick.

McLeod, whose daughters were three and four when they bought their first chicks, said children's books helped teach them about the health and safety aspects of not only chickens, but the risk to humans as well.

“We learned early on when you get done with the chickens, you wash your hands right away, you don't play in the chicken coop – basic things like that.”

In order to start a backyard chicken coop, you must be registered by the state. Registration has to be renewed every three years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

“Registration assists DATCP’s animal health staff in its response to animal disease outbreaks by identifying where susceptible animals are being held,” said Kevin Hoffman, a spokesman for DATCP’s Animal Health and Food and Recreational Safety Divisions.

Eggs became expensive because chickens kept getting sick from a deadly bird flu. Experts say producers are getting better at protecting their flocks from sickness, but it’s not an easy task.

Cases could spike again this spring because warmer months mean bird migration begins, Hoffman said, which is why DATCP strongly encourages anyone considering backyard flocks to also “implement biosecurity measures that can help protect their flocks from this and other diseases.”

On the bright side, consumers may soon start to see egg prices decline, according to the Wisconsin Grocers Association.

“When that happens, supply will be high, but prices will begin to stabilize and the theory is it should start going down,” said Brandon Scholz, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. “So, you should start to see prices coming down in time.”

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