More metro Atlanta area residents raising chickens to beat high cost of eggs

METRO ATLANTA — Rob Cleveland says the topic first came up 20 years ago.

“It was a little crazy. My wife got a little money and said, ‘Hey, I’m getting chickens.’ I was surprised. It was actually my wife’s idea,” Cleveland said.

These days, he takes care of the chickens.

They have eight of them in the backyard of their Decatur home.

Many local municipalities allow it, and lately, if you’ve checked the price for a dozen eggs, raising chickens has gotten very popular. Little chicks are in high demand.

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“Especially during the pandemic, they were running out. As egg prices went up, people were at home and they were running out of chickens,” Karen Hirsch said.

Hirsch is with a nonprofit called The Humane League.

She says more metro area folks now have their own chickens and lots of fresh eggs.

Cleveland says the only downside is fending off predators.

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Cleveland has encountered foxes, hawks, and even a mink.

He caught the mink on camera.

It killed four of his chickens in one night.

“They take off the heads,” Cleveland said.

But Cleveland says that decision 20 years ago, his wife’s idea, was a great one.

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“I love having chickens. It’s not that much work once you get everything set up, and the eggs are definitely worth it,” he said.

Cleveland says folks like himself who have just a few hens don’t go into the egg business.

If you do, there is a Georgia egg law that regulates it.

To learn more about cage-free eggs, visit www.TheHumaneLeague.org.

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