COLUMN: It’s Just a Country State of Mind: Brown eggs for sale

How often have you seen a sign along an old country road that reads, ”Brown  eggs for sale?”

A long time ago, I saw such a sign while out for a casual country drive.

There’s a certain amount of romance to be found in brown eggs for sale in the country. It brings to mind pictures of long, hot summer days in June, the smell of fresh cut hay and a backyard full of chickens.

It was a sign such as this that planted the idea of having my own chickens.

When I was a younger adult, I lived in the country on several acres. One day, I decided that it was time for a henhouse to be built and for some baby chicks to be ordered to put into the henhouse. And so, it began.

Lumber was found from the remnants of an old shed for the chicken coop. Next, little nest boxes were built, along with a little door for the chickens to go in and out. Chicken wire fencing was placed around the henhouse to protect the chickens from predators. And fresh straw for the nest boxes.

I ordered some chicks from the local hardware store. I learned that Rhode Island Reds were the chickens that laid brown eggs. So, I ordered 25 Rhode Island red chicks.

While waiting on the chicks to arrive, I kept myself busy by ordering things that I needed: a heat lamp to keep the chicks warm, chick feeders and waterers, and feed.

I found an old box and layered it with newspaper to keep the chicks dry. It seemed like a lot of money, but I figured that I’d get my money back when I start selling eggs.

At last, the much anticipated chick day arrived. I drove into town to the hardware store to pick up my chicks and then headed home.

The first few days with my new chicks was wonderful. They chirped, ate and slept. They grew fast and soon it was time to move them into the chicken house.

I quickly settled into a routine, feeding my chickens and checking for eggs every morning. An unforeseen problem developed though. Not all of the chickens were hens. There were a few roosters in the batch! I separated the boys from the girls, and I was back in business.

I’ll never forget the exhilaration that I felt the first time I found the first brown egg in a nest box. I gingerly picked it up from the nest and proudly carried it into the house.

After a few days, I started finding more and more eggs. It wasn’t long until my refrigerator started overflowing with brown eggs.

I realized that I had to start marketing my eggs.

I made a sign that read “brown eggs for sale” and strategically placed it at the end of my driveway. Days went by without a phone call. Why wasn’t the phone ringing off the hook with egg orders? I didn’t know the answer to that question, but I did know that I had eggs everywhere.

I had to start giving eggs away to my friends and family. They ended up with a bunch of eggs in their refrigerators too.

I decided to go talk to some people that I knew that raised chickens and sold eggs. I started out the next morning to go to their home. After I arrived in their driveway, I went to the door, and knocked. My friend came to the door and asked if she could help me. I quickly told her that I had seen her sign advertising eggs for sale and that I wondered if she was still selling them. She said that a few years ago, she got the idea to raise chickens and to sell eggs. She said her chickens laid so many eggs that she couldn’t find enough buyers for them. She said that she finally had to get rid of all her chickens.

I thought I’d faint when she asked me if I wanted to buy some brown eggs. I shook my head no and left.  Some kind of mumbling sounds could be heard coming out of my mouth as I made my way back to my car.

I got out of the chicken business after that. I can tell you that in the future, if I see a sign that says “brown eggs for sale” I’ll probably stop and buy a dozen. And with the price of eggs these days, that’s something to think about. After all, there’s a certain amount of romance to be found in brown eggs for sale in the country.

Who said romance is dead?

Happy Easter!
– Susan