North Carolina Teenager Talton Correll Runs a Successful Egg-Laying Operation

Talton Correll was just 10 years old when he purchased a flock of 25 hens and started selling eggs.

Although he grew up on a farm showing sheep and pigs and helping grow produce and raise beef cattle, Correll had no experience with chickens back in 2016. When his parents, David and Cheryl Correll, told him he was old enough to explore his own interests and become part of the farm business, he wanted to raise chickens.

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Hatching a New Business

“Chickens are the one farm animal I’ve never been exposed to and they’ve always fascinated me,” he says. “I wanted to start a small flock to see where it would go.”

Correll researched the best breeds for egg production and decided to start with Golden Comets, a layer breed that lays brown eggs, and helped convert an old red dairy barn into housing for his new flock. The small business owner, now 16, also took responsibility for managing all aspects of caring for his new flock from providing food and water to performing regular health checks.

See more: 9 Fun Facts About Eggs

On weekends, Correll packaged the eggs laid on his Cleveland, North Carolina, farm and sold them at the Salisbury and Davidson farmers markets. Talton’s Eggs were a hit.

“We had stickers that said ‘Talton’s Eggs’ on them and people saw them and said, ‘Oh, that’s so cute,’ and bought the eggs,” Correll says. “Once they figured out they were high-quality eggs, they kept on coming back.”

Egg-splosive Demand

When Correll started Talton’s Eggs, he had no idea there was such an appetite for local eggs. He sold out every week and quickly decided to expand his operation. Correll applied for and received a $500 grant from Bread Riot, a North Carolina nonprofit that supports small farmers and access to local foods, to expand his business.

The funds allowed Correll to purchase materials to enclose a 2,500-square-foot freestyle barn on the farm and added roosting bars and laying boxes. He also purchased 200 more chickens.

See more: Farm Facts: Eggs

Correll decided to purchase breeds like Olive Eggers and Ameraucanas that lay eggs in shades of blue and green to help draw attention to his product and make Talton’s Eggs stand out among other farmers market vendors.

“Most other farms just have brown and white eggs so colored eggs were just something different,” he says. “It catches a buyer’s eye because you don’t see it in the store.”

Cracking New Markets

To reach more customers for the 150 dozen eggs that the chickens lay each week, Correll began offering his eggs alongside the fresh produce that his parents sold through their successful home delivery service.

“We thought it would be pretty popular, but it skyrocketed,” Correll says. “We had to get even more chickens because we couldn’t keep up with demand from the farmers markets and home delivery baskets.”
Brisk sales and a reputation for delivering an excellent product captured the attention of local chef Joe Kindred. Kindred, a James Beard award finalist, purchased five dozen eggs from Correll at the Davidson Farmers Market and quickly came back for more.

“He bought a few dozen eggs for several weeks and then he reached out and asked if he could buy in bulk because he loved the eggs so much,” Correll says.

See more: Recipes Using the Golden Egg

Correll has been supplying eggs to the award-winning Kindred restaurant in Davidson for two years. He also works with a local restaurant distributor that provides eggs to restaurants and food trucks in the Charlotte area.

Juggling school, baseball and a small business can be challenging, but Correll believes the benefits of being an agriculture entrepreneur make it worthwhile.

“Watching the business grow, getting hands-on experience and learning different life skills is definitely the best part of running Talton’s Eggs,” he says. “Looking back from where I started six years ago and where I am now fills me with so much pride.”

To learn more about Talton’s Eggs and where to buy, visit facebook.com/correllfarms.

–Jodi Helmer