Wayne Morrow feeds his chickens in his Leetonia backyard. More than a year ago, Morrow had decided to raise a flock of chickens to provide fresh eggs. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

LISBON — Thanks to the bird flu, egg prices have nearly gone up 40 percent since the beginning of 2025.

Retailers also has began putting caps on how many dozens a customer can purchase per visit, so the general public has begun looking for alternatives to obtain their eggs — especially with Easter looming.

More people are investigating acquiring fresh eggs from backyard farmers or taking up the hobby themselves, so they can provide eggs for themselves, family and friends.

Samantha Kinemond originally had thought about getting her family a flock of a chickens back before COVID; however, it just took a while to convince husband Jared.

Last year was the first full summer they had their 11 girls.

When she acquired her flock, she acquired them in pairs from the following breeds: Buff Brahma, Plymouth Braham, Black Wyandotte, Buff Orpintons and Black Sex Link varieties as well as Easter Eggers, which are usually either a hybrid chicken of the Araucana or Ameraucana variety.

Jared Kinemond explained in his yard that their hens do well in the cold and are hardy egg producers except during the winter. Usually they produce 10 eggs per day.

Most of those eggs go to their family and friends.

Samantha explained that her eggs aren’t really good for dyeing at Easter as they mostly are brown egg producers — except for the Easter Eggers and their blue green eggs.

Many Columbiana County municipalities like East Liverpool, where the Kinemonds reside, allow chickens to be raised within municipal limits with certain conditions.

Wayne Morrow lives within Leetonia and found no real obstacles to raising his 18 hens.

He and wife Diana started raising their 18 hens around a year ago, mainly because they just like birds.

Morrow explained that it isn’t just a matter of picking up a few peeps and eventually using them when full-grown to lay eggs.

“Each chicken needs at least 3 to 5 square feet,” he explained, before adding he spent more than $500 to build their chicken coop to get started.

Diana Morrow, who was from Arkansas, was very excited when they started the endeavor; however, she acknowledged there are costs and a lot of work associated with chickens.

Neither family elected to heat their coops in the winter, which means extra bedding in the winter, and they didn’t have to run electricity back there.

The key, though, is keeping the coop “draft free.”

While the Kinemonds have a treelike fence to confine their chickens to some degree, the Morrows have erected a mesh fence around their coop area to keep their chickens somewhat confined.

However, Morrow acknowledged that it doesn’t always do that.

In his case, chickens travel at least 300 feet in a circle and one of his hens ended up at the 2 Broke Girls Cafe, which is located in front of their residence.

Generally egg laying chickens are viable layers for around four years, starting to lay around six months of age.

With the recent bird flu situation, Morrow has found interest through social media for his eggs, which sell very quickly for $3 per dozen in this market.

Anyone interested in possibly venturing into raising their own chickens either for eggs or meat is urged to contact their political subdivision’s zoning to find out what guidelines they must meet or permits they may have to acquire.

Not everyone has a policy regarding chickens on the books, but some of the ones encountered come from East Palestine, Salem and Columbiana.

For example, Misti Martin, who was filling in as acting village manager for East Palestine, explained that chickens fall under the definition of livestock, and livestock is only permitted in the “RU” zoning area.

Officials failed to return calls or emails clarifying a definition of “RU.”

In communities like Salem and Columbiana, it is more about where they are located compared to neighboring properties.

Chip Hank, planning and zoning officer for the City of Salem, said his city is working on a specific ordinance. However, its enforcement ultimately would fall to the police department not zoning.

According to existing language, though, Hank said chickens are allowed as long as they are 150 feet from any other residence.

On the other hand, the City of Columbiana prohibits the raising of chickens with the exception of land designated as A-O-C, or Agricultural-Open Space-Conservation Districts period.

Bryce Miner, Columbiana’s deputy city manager who also serves as city deputy zoning inspector, explained that per their zoning ordinance, any agricultural use buildings that house farm animals shall be located not less than 200 feet from property lines.

Farm stores like Tractor Supply, which has locations in Columbiana, Salem and Calcutta; Smith’s Farm Supply also in Calcutta; Rogers Mill either carry or allow you to preorder your peeps before March 15.

Most stores have minimum peep counts but allow you to mix and match varieties.

Pullets, which are sexed females, cost around $5-6 based on the breed. Unsexed chicks run $1 less usually.

Ohio law requires that at least six chicks be purchased to ensure that they aren’t being purchased as pets, according to another news source.

For information, check with your “peep” retailer for care needs.

sujhelyi@mojonews.com