‘Please don’t get a chicken’: New Zealand egg shortage sparks scramble for poultry

Animal welfare advocates are urging New Zealanders not to respond to a nationwide egg shortage by racing to buy chickens, as many supermarket shelves lay bare for the second week following a ban on battery cages.

The cages – considered detrimental to the birds’ health and wellbeing – were outlawed from 1 January 2023. The government’s commitment to ban them was made in 2012, when 86% of layer hens were battery-farmed. By December 2022, that number had fallen to 10%.

But egg producers say they are still hundreds of thousands of birds short of meeting market demand, and the chicken-egg dilemma could take months to resolve.

Purchase limits and empty shelves at the supermarkets have apparently prompted dreams of back yard farming for some. Searches on New Zealand’s largest online auction and classifieds site for chickens and “chicken-related items” jumped 77% to 32,800 in the past seven days compared with the week before, said Trade Me spokesperson James Ryan.

But New Zealand animal charity SPCA is urging caution among aspiring poultry-raising enthusiasts.

“I understand it seems like a good idea, but please don’t get a chicken unless you can look after it long-term,” said chief executive Gabby Clezy, “None of us want to see any more abandoned.”

Those adopting chickens “might be surprised to discover” that the birds could live for a decade or longer, might produce eggs only during their first two or three years, and would not start laying for several months, she said.

“They are fun companion animals to have,” Clezy said. “Don’t buy them as egg producers.”

The SPCA took in 370 live chickens in 2022 – most of them surrendered, abandoned, or removed by inspectors on animal welfare grounds. In the past, chicken abandonment has followed periods of increased popularity for the birds, Clezy said.

Those considering raising hens would need to commit to a flock of at least three – chickens are social birds – and provide a clean coop, enough space, veterinary care, and good quality food and water, according to the SPCA. Owners must also abide by local council rules and permissions for chicken-keeping that vary across the country.

New Zealand has 3.9m hens for egg production, according to the Ministry for Primary Industries. The export value for the year ending June 2022 was about NZ$18m (£9m), while the Egg Producers Federation of New Zealand website reports that retail sales of eggs are worth upwards of NZ$286m.

The flap over the country’s egg supply gathered pace in the months leading up to the prohibition on battery cages. Egg producers warned of shortages despite a 10-year notice of the ban, while some animal welfare advocates decried the change because it did not outright ban cage farming, as the European Union plans to do by 2027.

New Zealand’s law still allows colony cages – which house about 60 chickens and allow birds more space than battery pens.

The country’s major supermarkets pledged in recent years to voluntarily stop selling colony eggs by 2027, but egg producers said some farmers had already made the switch from battery to colony cages – at a cost of millions of dollars – and some had left the industry altogether, while others had waited years for resource consents to amend their operations.

The Egg Producers’ Federation told Stuff this month that the phasing out of colony cage eggs by retailers was a significant reason for the current shortage, and raising more chickens to laying age would take months.

Clezy asked those considering an avian impulse-purchase not to crack. “It’s temporary at the moment,” she said. “We’ll get through it.”