[soft music] - [Sheri] I love a good egg and nothing beats farm fresh eggs from the chicken coop for any recipe.

Paige and Darren Jackson raise animals and grow veggies at their family's grass-raised farm.

Today, they're gonna teach me what it's like to have backyard chickens.

And together, the beautiful bounty of that labor.

Hey, y'all, I'm Sheri.

It's so good to meet you.

- Hey, Sheri.

- Hello, hello.

- Thanks for getting up with your chickens with me this morning.

I appreciate it.

- Of course, of course.

Thanks for coming out.

- So tell me where we are.

- So we are in Durham, North Carolina and we're right outside of Downtown Durham, so Bahama area.

- But, yet, you've got this whole chicken kingdom out there?

- Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- And a lot of other animals too?

- Yup, cows and pigs and some dogs.

Some livestock guardian dogs.

- [Sheri] So how'd y'all get into chickens?

- I say chickens are the gateway drug for farming, 'cause they really are.

- [Sheri] Chickens really did come before the egg, in y'all's case.

- This is true.

- Yes.

- Okay.

All right.

So how many chickens do you have now?

- There's about 250 out here.

- Really?

- Laying hens.

- Just for laying lens.

- So now, I've got a lot of questions.

Now should we go visit some chickens?

- We got to feed the chickens and I think that's the way to learn about 'em.

- Let's go- - Let's go feed 'em.

- [Sheri] Let's go make friends with some chickens.

- All right, let's do it.

- All right, then.

[upbeat music] So what is this here?

- This a mobile coop.

- The chicken bus?

- Yeah.

- I don't know if it's a bus.

- It is a bus.

- But, yeah, sure.

- A chicken wagon.

- Chicken wagon.

Yes, yes.

- Chicken wagon.

Here we go.

And so do they sleep in here at night or come and go when they want?

- So they go in every night and they roost on their own.

I could leave it down and they'll just stay in there until the sun comes up.

- All right.

- Typically, our kids help with the chicken chores.

- Well, let's bring on the kids then.

- All right.

- Okay.

We'll have 'em come out.

- I guess it takes a lot to feed all these chickens though.

- It's almost 75 pounds a day.

- Let the boys did it.

Girls, y'all can do the eggs.

- Yeah.

- Y'all stay back.

- Yeah, I will- - You can do the eggs.

- Yeah.

I seem 'em too that if the chickens are out and about and a bug should come along- - They'll eat it.

- I mean, any bugs that come into the territory, right?

- They're gonna eat it.

- Yeah.

- [Darren] They're gonna eat it.

- Oh my goodness!

Well, hello, everyone.

That's like a clown car of chickens.

They just keep coming out of there.

So then, once they eat and go about their day and then when they're ready to lay eggs they just do it in here?

- Inside of there.

- So they do it all in there?

- Yes.

- [Sheri] Okay, so would this be a good time to gather some eggs?

- It should be a good time.

- [Sheri] Will you show me how to gather eggs?

- Yes!

- All right.

Let's go.

Let's gather some eggs.

So when we collect the eggs, so this side now is gonna come down.

She's gonna show us how.

- All right.

- Here we go.

- [Darren] And just step back and we'll use the one that's empty.

- [Sheri] Oh, wow, so, yes, so that's like the ... - [Darren] They like to lay down on that end.

- I got it.

- What happened [indistinct]?

- Oh, there's a chicken.

- Yeah.

- They're trying- - They're in that bus.

- [Sheri] Oh, you found one.

So do all of your chickens, oh, it's still warm - Yeah, it is.

- Thanks, chicken.

Appreciate that.

- Hey, can you let her grab the eggs, Max?

- They're all up there.

- All right.

- All right.

I'll hold the bucket.

- Okay, let her go- - Oh, you've got such a gentle touch.

- Now if there's a chicken over here you'd have to kinda grab- - Oh, that's what happens.

There you go.

- I'll pay y'all for that one.

- No, no, no, it's all right.

- I think I need to let you guys do this.

- What does dad say?

Don't hold the bucket and collect the eggs.

You got to put them- - Lesson one.

- Yeah.

- Yes.

- You gotta- - It takes two hands to collect it.

Watch them.

Get the bucket.

Get the bucket, Meyer.

- Back up, Sugar.

Hello, ladies.

- Here we go.

You wanna get one?

[kids chattering] Say, "Thank you."

- She didn't break the egg.

You've got the touch, ma'am.

You've got the touch.

- She's been doing this for a while.

She knows.

- So when y'all are gathering for sale, what's your next step?

- So after that, we will take the eggs.

- Take 'em and wash 'em.

- So every egg has a bloom.

- A bloom?

That's what you call that coating.

- Yeah, it's the coating on an egg.

- Okay, if, and I understand that we're all in the habit of refrigerating our eggs, if we don't disturb that bloom- - You don't have refrigerate them.

- You don't have to refrigerate them.

And how long could they stay at room temperature?

- About six months maybe.

- I have had more fun with these eggs.

Sorry, I broke one.

- It's all good.

- But anything like that it does take some, what's the expression?

You got to break some eggs to omelet.

Well, apparently to teach somebody how to gather them, it does.

- There you go.

Yeah.

- All right.

I know you got a lot to do.

I'm gonna head out.

- All right.

- Thank you so much.

- Thanks for- - Yeah.

Thank you.

- Y'all take care.

- Thank you.

- Okay, bye.

- All right.

[soft music]