We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Good recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have had backyard chickens my whole life, off and on. One day my daughter said to me, “Mama, instead of a lemonade stand, we should have an egg stand!” And with that, our business – what the cluck + co. – was born! In 2020 when the world shut down, we were presented with the unique opportunity to develop and grow this business and provide a need in our community. People were afraid to the leave their homes, afraid to be around other people, and even to go to the grocery store. During the pandemic our business gave us a sense of purpose and allowed us to connect with our neighbors in a unique way from a distance, that has lasted to this day. I have always loved animals, and my daughter shares this love of nature. We enjoy caring for our flock together and being creative in our business endeavors. At the end of the day, for us it all about connection. We love to be connected to our family, our friends, our pets, and our community. Raising our chickens and ducks and delivering fresh eggs is a wonderful way to stay connected with our community, as well as establish new and lasting relationships. I am a big fan of some of the aspects of “the olden days,” when fresh milk, eggs, even ice were delivered to homes. For us it is not just nostalgic, it became a necessity for some people who could not leave their homes. I remember a few years ago when we have a terrible ice storm in Dallas, and people were home bound without power. I put on my snow boots and trudged through the snow and ice to deliver eggs to neighbors on our street who were not able to get groceries. This little business was my daughter’s idea, and I am eager to foster her entrepreneurial spirit and creativity. SO as “farmhers,” we are delighted to provide delicious, fresh, healthy eggs to our wonderful customers, and spread a little joy around town. With a rainbow, start your day, and may you always live the “what the cluck” way!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

A little bit about me! My name is Taylor Good, and I am a Dallas native. Although I was raised in the Big D, I enjoyed a lot of time as a child with my grandparents in south Texas. My grandparents were ranchers and farmers, and the hardest working couple I have ever known. I helped them feed the chickens, the pigs, cattle, and quarter horses. I believe this is what sparked my interest in agricultural and animals. I have had backyard chickens off and on my whole life, including my senior year of college at Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee. I have an amazing young child who is just as passionate about backyard chickens (if not more) than I am! She works every day to help me care for our animals with tender, loving care, and I am so proud of her dedication and nurturing spirit. what the cluck + co. was established to offer several services and encompass all of the things I am passionate about: fresh egg concierge service (chicken eggs and duck eggs delivered right to your door); feathered friend consulting; floral design and photography. During the pandemic I dove head first into learning as much as I could about the science of chicken and duck egg colors. I became fascinated with all of the genetics, and so began our journey of curating the most wonderful rainbow we could harness from Mother Nature.
OUR EGG STORY
At what the cluck + co., we believe that truly happy hens produce the most delicious and healthy eggs! Our chickens and ducks enjoy a healthy diet of premium, non-GMO, organic feed. They receive healthy organic treats daily, such as fresh herbs, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, berries, sprouts, and other seasonal fruits and vegetables. They free range during the day (which is what pastured means), enjoy the sunshine and fresh air from sunup to sundown, and they forage for seeds, grasses, and bugs. Yes, chickens and ducks are omnivorous, so they are quite delighted when they find a tasty grub! Did you know that homegrown eggs are TWICE as nutritious as store bought eggs!!! Also, average store-bought egg, even if it is organic/pastured, all the right things, is 60-90 days old just based on the process. Studies have found that homegrown eggs have less cholesterol and fat, contain the right kind of fat, and have more vitamins than conventional eggs. Specifically, backyard eggs are higher in beta carotene, omeg-3s, and vitamins A, D and E. Here’s the skinny on chicken eggs: We do not wash our eggs to keep the bloom intact as long as possible. We recommend rinsing each egg with warm water right before use. Unwashed eggs are stable at room temperature (counter) for up to 3 weeks (well actually longer). You can also store in the refrigerator if you prefer. Once eggs are washed, they need to be refrigerated. Because our chickens are truly given a large area to free range every day, our eggs are classified as pastured. Our hens are our pets and are cared for every single day with love and affection. Their favorite composers are Brahms and Bach. There you have it! Fresh, delicious, organic, pastured, nutritious eggs! The proof will be in your omelet. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle – we live by this philosophy every day at our house. We repurpose everything we can, down to the egg shells and chicken manure! We kindly ask that you return your carton to be refilled, whenever possible, so that we can reduce our waste and protect our planet. Mother Earth thanks you, and we do too! TO THE POINT: • Fresh • Pastured • Unwashed (unless otherwise labelled) • Organic • Homegrown eggs are 2x as nutritious and have more vitamins and less cholesterol • Delicious • Happy healthy hens = delicious, nutritious, beautiful eggs!
FEATHERED FRIEND CONSULTING
I have learned a lot over the years in caring for chickens and ducks. There is a lot of information out there, and some of it can be conflicting and confusing, not to mention overwhelming for first time flock care givers. I do consulting for people who need advice, especially those who are interested in having backyard chickens, but they are not quite sure where to start. We help with everything from understanding how many chickens would be best for the space you have, flock care, and even building custom coops and nesting boxes.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is also one of my passions, and I specialize in family photography, maternity, children and pets. One of my favorite projects was helping a family with their first flock, photographing the chicks, then returning to photograph their child with their mature hens. I have a very organic photography style to capture moments in time. I like to photograph outdoors and use natural light in nature.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My daughter and I have been through a lot over the last 10 years. She was born prematurely and weighed 2.5 pounds. She was in the NICU for 64 days. I am very proud of her and the remarkable young lady she has turned out to be. We love Texas, and we are proud of our little business we have worked so hard to build from the ground up.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like I have had to pivot quite a lot. My dream was to be a singer-songwriter (still is) but I knew I needed to make a steady paycheck to survive. I worked in the film industry in Los Angeles for 12 years, mostly as a Costume Coordinator for big films like Star Trek, Dark Knight Rises, and Mockingjay 1 and 2 from the Hunger Games series. I also worked as a vocal coach and Executive Producer’s Assistant. I had regular gigs and sang any chance I could get. When my daughter was born, she became my north star. It was less about me and more about what I needed to do to give her everything she needed. She came into the world very early. Our journey brought us back to Texas and I knew I needed to pivot with my career path. Education was a natural choice, and then my jobs in development and advancement fell into place. I started a flock at our house and also started to take some photographs to fulfill my creative passions, and thus what the cluck + co. was born!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: whatthecluckandco
• Facebook: what the cluck + co.
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ taylormariegood
• Other: email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Taylor Good, what the cluck + co.