What's good for the chickens is unfortunately bad for your wallet. Starting Jan. 1, California put in a place two laws that require farmers to give egg-producing chickens more space to spread their wings.

Building new chicken housing is expensive so some egg producers are simply reducing the number of birds they keep, which is expected to cut the overall supply of eggs nationwide, said University of California, Davis Professor Daniel Sumner.

Egg prices have already been climbing in anticipation of the law, which agricultural experts worry could create a supply crunch for grocery shoppers both in California and nationwide.

Another concern: the small group of out-of-state producers already meeting these strict requirements may choose to ship their "cage-free" eggs to California.

While Sumner expects prices to eventually stabilize across the country, he said California shoppers should expect to pay as much as 40% more for eggs thanks to the new rules.