As eggs are a growing scarcity on grocery store shelves, more and more Maricopans are turning to local farms and backyard farms for their protein supply.
“ Why are you guys going nuts? It’s just eggs,” asked Nancy Marrss from her Hidden Valley home.
Before this latest outbreak of avian flu, Marrs was just the self-described “crazy chicken lady.” She and her husband would pass out eggs to neighbors along her rural road. Once a week, she would sit in the pen – nicknamed Hen Haven – and have an evening drink.
“ I called it ‘Cocktails with the Chickens.’ I do it live on my Facebook.”
Lately, that broadcast takes a back seat to egg sales or fielding inquiries about her eggs.
“ These [eggs] are a hot commodity, I guess,” said Marrs.
While some stores sell out of eggs, and others are rationing the amount of eggs sold, consumers are turning to backyard egg breeders.
Marrs has raised hens for six years. She keeps about ten hens in a backyard pen where she feeds them all-natural feed, without soy. Neighbors pay a premium for her fresh eggs, but now, she’s undercutting the factory farm eggs.
The cheapest eggs at local grocery stores Fry’s, Wal-mart and Basha’s are all $6.39. Marrs is selling farm fresh for $5 per dozen.
Other nearby local farms have started waitlists for their eggs.
Jennifer and Michael Connelly with 6th Day Farms sell out every time they’re at the Uptown Farmer’s Market. They’ve started referring customers to other local farms.
“They’re selling out faster now,” said Jennifer Connelly. “This shows just how fragile our food supply is. We all need each other.”
Connelly worries the rush for eggs is spurred by media-fueled anxiety. She and her husband help run the local food pantry and feed 2,000 people every week. She relies on sustainable food. Together, they hope this attention and egg demand will help create a renewed focus on that sustainability.
“During Covid, we helped set up so many backyard birds for families. It gives families tools they can rely on,” said Connelly. “It creates producers instead of just consumers.”
As the avian flu numbers die down, Marrs hopes the interest in farm fresh remains.
“Once you get hooked on [farm fresh eggs], you’ll never go back to a store,” said Marrs.
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