VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Inside a chicken run in Virginia Beach, you'll find Marie McCoy checking nesting boxes to find quite a few treasures.
"Did you ever expect this eight years ago when you started?" asked News 3 reporter Erika Craven.
"No, definitely not," laughed Marie McCoy of McClucks & McDucks Homestead in Virginia Beach. "If you asked my husband, he would have said not in a million years did he think he would be married to a chicken farmer."
A teacher by trade, she fell into chicken farming eight years ago when she taught a lesson on cell division. She and her seventh-grade class hatched chicks as part of that lesson.
It broadened horizons for the kids.
"Some of them didn't realize the same eggs that came from the grocery store were also the same eggs you can hatch chickens out of," said McCoy. "And I've learned a lot about how helpful they can be in helping kids to learn to take responsibility for things."
The project sparked joy for Marie too, who began to embrace 'chicken math' by adding to her flock. She now has more than 100 birds, a poultry license, and a business: McClucks & McDucks Homestead.
She, like any chicken farmer, knows chickens are a long-term commitment and eggs, even if they're in your backyard, aren't 'free.'
"People say, 'Oh, it must be great to have free eggs in your backyard.' By no means are these eggs free. I have to house the birds, I have to feed them, I have to provide them fresh bedding, I have to care for them when they're sick. But yes I have fresh eggs. So I can do it at the price I've set," said McCoy. "If you're just getting them to get the eggs, realize it's more than just the eggs. It's expensive to feed them and house them and everything. It's an investment."
But she's been glad to see a steadily growing interest in local chickens and eggs especially as commercial egg prices remain steep.
In the past year we've seen grocery bills climb, and egg prices have soared to new heights. Egg prices for wholesalers, while down from last week's $8, are hovering around $6.85 a dozen this week and are expected to remain high, according to the latest USDA report. Across the nation, grocery stores are selling eggs at a loss for an average of $5 a dozen, though that varies by state, grade, and type.
McCoy's able to sell her chicken eggs for $6 a dozen and $8 for 18. She had to schedule out customers with the increased demand.
But the biggest plus, she said, is that raising chickens has helped out her community.
"If we can do more for our community I just think that's the best thing about it," said McCoy.
