 This had the undesirable side effect of turning the chicken manure from a valuable fertilizer that could be used profitably on local farms to an unwanted byproduct.This trend may be reversing itself due to higher disposal costs on the one hand and higher fertilizer prices on the other, making farm regions attractive once more.From the farmer's point of view, eggs used to be practically the same as currency, with general stores buying eggs for a stated price per dozen.