The people in your neighbourhood - Egg entrepreneur Sarah McClelland

Sarah McClelland

Toni Lucas

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the Pincher Creek area. 9 year old Sarah McClelland is a grade 3 student at St. Michael's School in Pincher and lives with her family on a farm near Beaver Mines. Her personal business is raising several varieties of fowl and selling their eggs. "I started my business when I was like, 6, maybe 7," she explained.  At home she has to pay for half of the cost of the feed. She sells the eggs for $3.00 / dozen, collects approximately a dozen a day, and has learned a lot about her fowl, their care, and habits in the process. She currently is keeping approximately 20 chickens, a few ducks, and geese.

She takes care of their respective coops and has separated the chickens from the other fowl. "The ducks and geese pick on the chickens, so they don't get to lay eggs. You see the ones with missing feathers? The rooster is fertilizing their eggs, and climbing on them. They're all healthy. See that one with the big comb? That's the rooster. I have two roosters." She showed her brooding area, which contains a duck waiting for her hatchlings. Sarah has previously hatched eggs at home using an incubator.

She has been very careful in keeping track how the effects of nature affects her business. She explained that chickens laying habits change with the seasons. "In the winter one or two eggs, and in the summer over four." She is very attentive to her flocks needs and enjoys pulling grass and feeding it to her animals. She imparted a bit of chicken wisdom. "If a chicken doesn't want to lay an egg, the chicken doesn't lay an egg." Sarah has both regular and occasional customers for the chicken eggs that come in a variety of shell colours including blue, green and brown.  She tends to save the duck and geese eggs for a special customer.  Grandpa.  Sarah is all business - he has to pay first.  She used that business ethic to be able to earn and save enough money to buy her own mini quad which she uses on the farm for chores.

Mixing education with her business at STM Science Fair

This local egg farmer is also serious about the science.  She participated in the St. Michael's Science Fair earlier this year, answering the question 'Why does vinegar dissolve an eggshell?'

To contact Sarah about eggs email jessica_mcclell@yahoo.ca

Related story:
St. Michael's holds 2015 Science Fair