Hunt County farm has niche market to crow about

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Free-range chickens are part of the business developed by the Magedsons in Hunt County. The family says there is good demand for the chickens, plus their eggs. -Staff photo by Montgomery

August 15, 2002 -- If an individual has 10 acres or less and wants to supplement their income, they might consider raising chickens.

"We sell live chickens and eggs," said Lynn Magedson, a Celeste farmer. "Customers have shown an interest in buying processed 'farm-raised birds' and our chickens are happy chickens."

Magedson's chickens are free-range birds, meaning they run free instead of being housed.

"They are free to roam, eating insects and grass, which makes for a more yellow yolk," she added.

Besides the chickens and eggs, the Magedson's have found a nitch market with their sheep, dogs, and other poultry.

The chickens' "coop" is a uniquely converted cotton wagon, which the Magedson's call the "eggmobile."

"The eggmobile is real neat. The wagon already has a wire mesh floor and sides. Add roof, roosts, nest boxes, waterers and feeders and you're set," Magedson explained. "There are two suspended doors, one on each end of the wagon, which allows the chickens to get in but keeps the sheep out."

The wire mesh floor allows the chicken manure to fall to the ground, thus fertilizing the pasture as the "eggmobile" is moved from spot-to-spot. Moving the eggmobile depends upon conditions such as short grass and lack of insects.

The free-range chickens are given a custom ground feed that has no antibiotics, and no animal by-products. It is the Magedson's own feed recipe using "certified organic grains." The feed is also offered for sale at the Magedson's small country store.

With chickens, Magedson recommends starting small.

"All of our animals are on a rotational grazing program. This gives the land time to recover," Magedson said. "If a farmer only has five acres, why not fence it off into two separate paddocks or five one-acre paddocks?"

Growing free-range chickens isn't that hard, according to Magedson.

"We use practices that most farmers used years ago," she said, hence the word "yard-bird."

The farm has many varieties of laying hens: Productive Red, Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, and White Leghorn. Many of these hens produce brown eggs, which according to Magedson, "most people think brown eggs are from the country."

The Magedsons buy their chickens in Texas .

"We buy from Ideal Poultry (located in Cameron). I like to buy locally and they (the chickens) tend to do better. We will special order chicks for individuals year-round."

The selling price for "farm-raised" eggs and chickens may seem costly for some, according to the farmer, but "when you hand someone a carton of eggs, there is pride knowing you have produced a good egg."

A carton of eggs sells for $2.10; a case (15 cartons) is $28.50. All cartons are new for "sanitation reasons" and properly labeled.

Magedson tells people who would like to grow their own chickens to visit the website www.attra.org. This website is a source for people who are thinking about sustainable farming practices.

For someone who has questions about Magedson farm, (they also raise Katahdin sheep, Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds, and other poultry) they can be contacted by calling (903)496-2070 or online at www.goodearthorganicfarm.com.