By Susan Barnard

    When 11-year-old Ethan Ideus isn’t attending school at Freeman in Adams, he’s at home just west of Beatrice taking care of his chickens for his new business, Ethan’s Farm Fresh Eggs.
    Ethan, with the help from his aunt Becky Dorn and Brad Christ, created the self-service roadside egg stand in 2023. Ethan joined Becky and Brad’s home after the tragic loss of his parents, the late Glenn and Tracy Hoffman-Ideus (Becky’s sister) in 2021. There have been lots of changes and challenges for this family, but the egg business has been a fun and educational journey for them.
    The roadside stand, built by Brad, is set up at the end of the family’s driveway. If the green flag is up, eggs are available for purchase in a red cooler for $3 a dozen. If the red flag is flying, the stand is out of eggs for that day. A metal cash box sits in the stand where customers can deposit money, or they can send a Venmo payment to Becky. Earlier this year, Ethan’s stand suffered a blow when someone destroyed the money box and took the cash. But that didn’t deter him. Lee Waldo of DeWitt and Schuerman Welding of Clatonia, donated labor and supplies for a new heavy-duty secure cash box. Security cameras at the stand were also installed.
    Neighbors and the community have been very supportive of Ethan’s egg business, and it’s been a great way for them to meet new people. When locals heard of his egg money being stolen, several people showed up with donations out of pure kindness.  If he has a good egg week, he puts extra money in the collection plate at church.  He recently purchased a red windmill for the chicken area and is saving up to purchase a bigger refrigerator for the egg business.
    Although Ethan has been enjoying the business venture, he said cleaning the chicken coop is the one thing he doesn’t like to do – but Becky helps. He likes to clean the eggs and is very organized, making sure the refrigerators are stocked and eggs are ready to go for customers. The family built the chicken coop themselves, featuring temperature controls and automatic feeders as well as an automatic door that shuts at night when the flock has come into roost.
    “We had to obtain a license to sell our eggs,” said Becky. The internet has been their friend, as they research and learn all kinds of things about raising chickens.
    Ethan started with 12 chickens, he’s up to 15 laying hens now and hasn’t lost a one. Chickens are social creatures. They play and explore together, satisfying their curiosity and need for companionship. They also establish a pecking order, the hierarchy of dominance within a flock, establishing order in chicken society and allowing everyone to coexist peacefully.
    Chickens have very good memories. Ethan explained that every night towards dusk the chickens instinctively know when it’s time to head to the coop. He double checks them and does a quick head count just in case. Chickens can also recognize up to 100 different human faces and are quite talkative. While holding one of his favorite chickens of the flock, you could hear the chicken “purr” just like a cat. When a chicken is happy, cozy, and safe, they will close their eyes and purr softly.
    Ethan’s chickens are well cared for and the business, along with Becky and Brad’s guidance, has taught Ethan about responsibility, hard work, animal care, and most importantly where good food comes from. Having a protein rich food source right in your backyard is a bonus too, and Ethan said he enjoys Aunt Becky’s deviled eggs the best.