Hatch your own. Why it matters: When egg prices skyrocket, more people in the U.S. consider getting — and even renting — backyard chickens. By the numbers: 11 million U.S. households have backyard chickens,

Still, a lack of eggs and steep prices may lead consumers to move to other cheap forms of protein, which could lead to consumer-induced shortages and price increases, one expert told USA TODAY. Egg-laying hens and broiler chickens – poultry raised for meat – are different,