Our correspondent bought some mail-order chicks. They grew into hens. They changed her life for the better. And then one day ... she heard this wondrous sound.
After months of eye-popping prices, egg lovers are finally seeing some relief. Wholesale prices in the Midwest fell by 58 cents at the end of January, but the days of a $1.50 a dozen may not return.
Amid high egg prices, social media users are claiming that common chicken feed products are preventing their own hens from laying eggs. But experts say high egg prices are caused by bird flu and inflation. And while feed quality can affect egg production, there are more mundane explanations for backyard flock owners' reported low egg yields.
U.S. egg prices have climbed 60% in the past year, making it tempting to bring eggs over from Mexico, where prices are lower. But those who try to smuggle them risk thousands of dollars in fines.
Jack Bishop of America's Test Kitchen describes the French omelet as "a nice way of saying 'Mom, Happy Mother's Day. I love you." It's an elegant alternative to its folded diner-style counterpart.
