Hi there!
We’re so glad you stopped by. We’re Rich and Deb and we invite you to come and “peck” around our egg hut (virtually or on location) and join our family of neighbors.
We’re carrying on the tradition of our grandparents by raising chickens and selling the eggs to our neighbors (like Deb’s grandparents) and offering baked goods (like Rich’s grandparents) along with homemade items such as soap, candles and gifts to spread moments of joy. As our commitment to giving back, we donate 10% of every purchase in The Egg Hut back to non-profit organizations who provide live chickens and education about their care to impoverished areas. We invite you to read more about us and join our cause.
How the hut began
When we moved into the family farmhouse, the first order of business was taking down Grandpa’s old chicken barns that had become dilapidated. At one point he had raised hundreds of chickens but the barns had been empty for decades and the weather had taken its toll. We never imagined then, that we would ever need chicken barns again!
It wasn’t long before we realized that we could easily raise a few chickens and enjoy homegrown eggs. We started with a dozen chicks but quickly found out that we had too many eggs to eat ourselves, so we started offering them to our neighbors for a couple dollars. They quickly sold out which only inspired Rich to buy more hens! We slowly expanded our flock in the hopes of better serving our neighbors. In the early 2000s we reclaimed our old rabbit hut to use for the eggs to provide better protection from the elements. We painted it yellow and white like an egg and our daughter painted a sign for us with a cute little hatchling — “The Egg Hut” was born! From time to time, we would offer our extra fruit or vegetables and some of our handmade soap, but the eggs were always front and center.
Over the years, neighbors would stop by and share stories with us about their families and tell us how much they were enjoying our eggs. Some of our visitors remembered buying eggs from Deb’s grandparents and loved stopping by the hut before they traveled so they could carry along our eggs to their families.
Despite our efforts, the theme from our visitors continued-
“Are there any eggs left?”
“What time should I get here to get some eggs?”
“The eggs are always gone by the time I stop by.”
We felt for the neighbors who stopped, only to find the hut empty. Rich kept buying more chicks, but their growing rates and molting habits left us with ebbs and flows. We really wanted to offer something else to those folks who came after the eggs were sold out.
In 2025, Rich found that his flock had grown to upwards of 80 hens!! We fell in love with a small red chicken coop made by Sauders and decided it would be perfect to replace our old bunny hut. With the extra room inside, we imagined we could finally provide some extra treats for our neighbors. Rich filed for a home processing license and we began offering his famous cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies which the neighbors loved! Deb resurrected her old hobby of making handmade soap and we soon expanded to offer other baked goods, candles, seasonal items, and handmade gifts. Our nephew, Luke Dendis, quickly sketched a couple scenes of the hut for us which have become a staple on all of our labels.
With all the blessings we have received from our neighbors through the years, we had to give something back, so we donate 10% of our proceeds from The Egg Hut each quarter to non-profit organizations that supply impoverished areas with live chickens and education so that others can experience the joy of raising hens and have a rich protein source from their eggs.
We hope you find something enjoyable in our hut, and welcome ideas of items you would like to see there in the future. Don’t hesitate to reach out by leaving us a note in the hut, sending an email, or using the contact us form on our website. We’d love to hear from you!
Carrying on the tradition
“I sure do love those chocolate chip cookies!”
In the old days, Deb’s grandparents had a greenhouse and raised chickens on the farm. They sold plants from the greenhouse and eggs out of the kitchen for a good many years. While Lottie cleaned and packed the eggs, her customers would sit at the kitchen table and swap stories. A cookie jar always sat in the corner of the kitchen counter.
Little did they all know it at the time, Deb would eventually take over their farm, and her husband Rich would fall in love with chickens! (Afterall, Rich says chickens are people too! :)) The cookie jar is now in our egg hut filled with Rich’s famous chocolate chip cookies. We know Ralph and Lottie would love having it there to greet the neighbors!
Deb isn’t the only one keeping up with family tradition. Rich’s grandfather, Anders, was born in Denmark and learned to bake there. He emigrated to the United States and opened up Rasmussen’s Bakery in Connecticut. The Bakery was destroyed in the Great New England hurricane of 1938 (sometimes called the Long Island Express). He re-settled and opened up a small bakery in Davie, Florida in the early 1960s where Rich’s parents helped out. Rich’s grandfather created quite a name for himself in that bakery and it was pretty popular with the local community. Rich remembers his Dad running into a total stranger at a campsite who recalled visiting that bakery frequently!
Rich’s Dad had the old recipe for danish pastries (written in the danish language) and tried to perfect it when Rich was a child. Rich remembers pans and pans of danish lying on top of the radiators to capture the heat to help them rise! He helped Rich translate the recipe into english and convert it from the large batches made in the bakery to small batches that we can bring to you.
After years and years of making danish pastries for the family, Rich has the recipe down pat and has gotten really good at producing a wonderful flaky crust. These pastries are available in the hut from time to time, or can be ordered on request for pick-up through our website.
Thank you!
*
Thank you! *
Thank you for stopping by The Egg Hut and contributing to our effort to purchase live chickens to sustain needy families. We partner with several international organizations who offer chickens (alone or in combination with other farm animals) along with education to help support their livelihood. 10% of every purchase you make in The Egg Hut, goes to our effort to give back.