Egg Entrepreneurs

WRITTEN BY LAZAR BROWN OGLESBY

Owning chickens is forecasted to become the next big fad. Eggs have more than doubled in price at supermarkets across the country and people are getting their feathers ruffled! My Facebook feed is filled with folks going berserk about the rising price of eggs, even going as far as threatening to dye potatoes in place of Easter eggs this spring. Considering the current hoopla over what was once an economical grocery staple, I suggest finding an alternate route. Surely, there are more pocketbook friendly options, and they don’t include becoming a chicken farmer. I happen to know a young man who has cornered the secondary egg market!

One of the most exciting parts of growing older is watching your friends have little versions of themselves. I think all parents hope and pray their kids are wiser, smarter, and kinder. My lifelong friend, Tiffany gave me the best birthday gift ever on April 14th, 2010. Her first son, Parks was born on my birthday! Boy was I proud!! Watching Parks grow has been a joy. Recently Parks has turned a family hobby into a full-fledged business.

Parks’ daddy, Bry dabbled in raising chickens and eggs for a couple of years. Once Bry realized Parks’ passion for poultry he brought him under his wing. Parks took an egg candling class and his mom helped him procure the proper licensing to sell his eggs to the public. “Across the River Eggs” was born! Parks’ chickens produce 6 dozen eggs a day. Many people see this number and see dollar signs. Parks sees the future! He keeps a ledger and knows down to the pound and penny: production costs, pricing, feed bills, and profits. Parks was encouraged to turn something recreational into a school project and lucrative business by Jenkins County Middle School Ag teacher, Carmen Bennett. Mrs. Bennett saw the potential for a budding business and the beginning of an FFA project.

Parks doesn’t do all the work alone. That’s where his brother, Porter and baby sister, Ella fall into the family business. The sibling trio are not afraid of hard work. Nothing goes to waste. The kids have found even chicken manure is a marketable product. The kids’ drive and work ethic are encouraged by their parents, grandparents, and customers. Bry built a state-of-the-art chicken coop, nesting boxes, and is tripling their flock this coming year! Grandparents, Bunny and Brenda, help deliver eggs and check on things while everyone is at work and school. Tiffany oversees social media posts, formulating recipes, and marketing. It takes a village!

Parks’ grandmother, Brenda, is one of the best cooks I know. I spent many a night at the Johnson home. Mrs. Brenda could always be found in the kitchen cooking biscuits, cakes, homemade bread, vegetable soup, and pickles! Her home was always filled with wonderful smells and the laughter of family and friends. She gladly shared her egg custard recipe. It’s Mr. Bunny’s favorite!

Tiffany and I cheered together in high school and quickly bonded over our love for food. Twenty-five years later our conversations often gravitate to food and our text message threads are peppered with pictures of dishes we want to show off. I have included Tiff’s homemade pasta recipe. The rich orange yolks from their eggs give the pasta a golden tint. Once you make homemade pasta it’s hard to go back to the boxed version. I suggest investing in a Kitchen Aid mixer with a pasta attachment if you plan to make pasta night a staple at your home.

TIFF’S HOMEMADE PASTA

INGREDIENTS:

3 Large Eggs

1 Egg Yolk

2 c. Semolina Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Olive Oil

PREPARATION:

Mix flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack the eggs into the well. Add olive oil. Begin mixing by gently folding in the flour from the outside of the well to the center using a fork. The mixture will be wet and messy but keep working until all of the ingredients are combined. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. This is where your KitchenAid mixer comes in very handy! Allow the dough to rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll the pasta to 1 mm thickness with a rolling pin or a pasta attachment. Cut into ¼ inch strips. Drop into boiling salted water and cook until tender.

Alfredo Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick Butter

4 cloves Garlic

1 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ c Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Sauté garlic in melted butter. Add heavy cream and Parmesan and cook until thickened. Serve over freshly cooked pasta.

A FEW HELPFUL HINTS FOR RAISING CHICKENS:

You don’t have to have a rooster to have eggs. Just feed laying-mash or laying feed to your adult hens.

Be consistent with water and feed. Happy chickens lay more eggs!

Give your girls a treat: mealworms, kernel corn, sunflower seeds, fresh herbs, pumpkin, and watermelon are favorites of my flock.

Adult chickens don’t need a heat source in cold weather. Chicks need a heat lamp until 4-6 weeks of age.

A coop that is clean and large enough for your flock is essential. Nesting boxes need fresh bedding.

Chickens produce better in a non-stressful environment that is maintained.

I received chicks for my birthday last April. My husband finally surrendered and had a simple coop built with 5 nesting boxes. It was the perfect surprise! We started out with 24 chicks from our local feed and seed. Rhode Island Reds, Golden Comets, and Plymouth Rocks make up my flock. We quickly learned that an automatic feeder and waterer are a MUST for raising chickens. My flock started laying eggs late summer 2022 and I was not prepared for the large quantity of eggs that kept appearing in the nesting boxes each day. 150 eggs a week!! I had eggs in bowls, baskets, platters, cartons, and even in the cupholders of my car. I cooked quiche, pound cake, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, and any other egg rich recipe you can imagine. I was still literally overflowing with eggs! I ended up selling all but seven chickens to good homes. Seven is a much more manageable number for me and I still have eggs to give away to family and friends.

Nothing is more aesthetically pleasing than an antique stoneware bowl filled with eggs resting on my kitchen counter. I love the rich creams and browns of the eggshells. Some are speckled with lighter hues. Each egg is different. Its own work of art. My next goal is to procure some “fancy” chickens. Bry is ordering a few Americana chicks this spring. Americanas are referred to as “Easter Eggers “due to their bright colors. I can’t wait to add their blue/green eggs to my Easter baskets! It’s good to have friends in the chicken business! S

BRENDA’S EGG CUSTARD PIE

INGREDIENTS:

5 Eggs

2 c. Milk

¾ c. Sugar

½ c. Self-Rising Flour

½ stick Butter (melted)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 c. Grated coconut (optional)

PREPARATION:

Whisk ingredients until smooth and pour into a greased Pyrex pie plate. Bake at 350˚ for 40 minutes. Cool and serve. (Add 1 c. grated Coconut to make a Coconut Custard Pie).