Nebraska 9-year-old starts egg company

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - For many Nebraska children helping out around the farm is nothing new, but for one girl just east of Lincoln, she’s taking her passion for raising chickens and turning it into a quickly growing business.

“I started the business a week ago and I’ve thought about my business for a long time,” said Madison Reed, the owner of Rainbow Eggs at Reed Ranch.

While many 9-year-olds like Madison are focused on play, she’s focused on her work building her business. What started out as an overflow of eggs from the family’s coop, turned into a fun hobby of Madison selling eggs around a campsite last summer, and has now blossomed into her daily work.

“It’s really important to me because I like selling eggs and spending time with my chickens,” Madison said.

Madison has also done all the legwork to make sure everything is in order to sell the eggs legally, registering her business and getting her own egg number from the State of Nebraska.

“We went through a whole bunch of different names because when you call and get an egg number you have to tell them the name of the business,” said Mackenzie Reed, Madison’s mom. “So we finally settled on Rainbow Eggs because our eggs are all colors, so we thought that was a fitting name.”

The family’s hens lay different-colored eggs, from blue and green to tan and white. Most days, Madison has a pretty standard routine.

“I gather the eggs and check their food and water. If it’s empty I’ll feed them and water them,” Madison said.

Once back inside the house, she sorts the eggs and gets them ready to sell in cartons she hand-stamps with her logo.

While Madison is the face of the brand, it’s definitely a family affair, with younger siblings helping anywhere she needs them.

“I gather eggs and feed them and water them,” said Mallory, a younger sister. “I’ll just check on them and shut the door if the food is full.”

Madison sells her Rainbow Eggs for $4 a dozen, as well as hatching eggs for $15 a dozen.

People can get in touch with her through her business’s Facebook page, which is run by her mom, Mackenzie. Her next goal is to sell her eggs at markets this spring and summer.