Five years ago, you know you would have given Naeema Finley a serious side-eye if you found out she raised chickens in her Georgia backyard. But these days, as the price of eggs continues to be one of the hottest topics in the country, more and more people think Finley is on to something, and she has found a way to turn her homemade backyard chicken coop into a successful side hustle.
Finley started her bare-bones operation in 2020, keeping just four chickens to produce fresh, healthy eggs for her recipes. But in the five years since, her flock has grown to 17 chickens that produce over 5,000 eggs each year, according to NBC News.
“I didn’t expect it would grow like this when I first started,” she said in an interview.
As PBS News reported, the average price of a dozen large Grade A eggs increased 65 percent in 2024, mostly due to a bird flu outbreak that began in 2022 and led to the slaughter of more than 145 million chickens, hens and other birds. The rising prices have forced people and businesses to find creative solutions to cope. As The Root reported, restaurant chain Waffle House added a surcharge to customers ordering egg dishes. And in New York City, bodegas began selling single “loosie” eggs to customers who couldn’t afford the cost of an entire dozen, according to the New York Post.
Finley told NBC News she sells her eggs for between 3 and 9 dollars per dozen, and people have no problem paying the price. After all, who wouldn’t want to buy an egg laid by a chicken named Kamala Harris, Jasmine Crockett or Beyoncé?
Now, through her business, The Royal Chicken Coop, Finley is sharing her knowledge, consulting others who want to raise chickens of their own on things like personalized coop design, setup, and weekly maintenance.
“It is an involved process to do it the right way,” Finley told NBC News. “But it’s worth it.”