Chickens are some of the most versatile animals around. They can be great pets, and they can also be a useful source of food.

Egg prices across the globe have skyrocketed as avian bird flu has ravaged commercial poultry flocks — since the start of the year, more than 30 million egg-laying chickens have been slaughtered ...

Those deaths have totaled over 166 million birds in the U.S. since 2022. Most birds killed are egg-laying chickens, and the death of so many hens is the main reason egg prices keep rising.

When egg prices surged to record highs this year, so did the number of people who added egg-laying chickens to their backyard. As many as 11 million households have them, according to the American ...