George Burkhardt was out Wednesday morning, feeding chickens and collecting eggs in a hoodie with the US Marine Corps logo. At 75 years old, he moves around, carefully tending to his flock.

The New Jersey native has been farming here in Montrose for more than 17 years now, ever since he arrived to help out on the land that belonged to his “Cousin Rick.” What started as a side project has turned into a full-scale egg operation at Happy Hogs Farm and Kinikin Egg Farm, one that—amid the national egg shortage—can hardly keep up with demand. The farm sits on Kinikin Road, about five miles outside of town.

“The demand for eggs is out of this world right now,” he said. “We could sell 200 to 300 dozen a week if we had them.”

Across the country, egg prices have skyrocketed due to a severe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has wiped out millions of egg-laying hens. According to recent USDA reports, the national average price for a dozen Grade A eggs hit $5.90 in February 2025, with some stores locally charging as much as $8 or $9 per dozen. In many cases, eggs have become difficult to find on grocery store shelves.

But while big producers struggle to recover, small farms like Burkhardt’s are thriving.

Unlike major commercial operations, which often house hundreds of thousands of hens in close quarters, Happy Hogs Farm and Kinikin Egg Farm maintain a smaller, more biosecure flock.

“Our eggs are $5 a dozen at the farm,” Burkhardt said. “And they’re good, they’re fresh. They go so fast.”

There’s a shed at the front of his property where customers can grab eggs on an honor system: take what you need, drop the cash in a coffee can, and be on your way. “It’s an easy system,” he said. “I show people how it works the first time, and after that, they just come when they want.”

The surge in demand has also been good for local businesses. Burkhardt supplies eggs to restaurants and retailers across the Western Slope, including the Fresh Food Hub in Norwood, Homestead Retail Store in Delta, and various restaurants.

He’s also partnered with Farm Runners, a Hotchkiss-based company that connects local farmers with restaurants and markets. Every week, Farm Runners picks up eggs from Happy Hogs and delivers them to places in Telluride, Crested Butte, Aspen, and beyond.

“The restaurants love them,” Burkhardt said. “I had one restaurant owner tell me that over the years I’ve probably brought them a million eggs. They use them for everything—breakfast burritos, baked goods. They’ll take as many as I can get them.”

The demand is so high that Burkhardt is planning to bring in 200 more hens around the beginning of April. Right now, he’s collecting about 15 dozen eggs a day, but it’s still not enough to keep up.

“I can’t keep eggs on the shelf,” he said. “They go so fast.”

Burkhardt didn’t always farm for a living. Before moving to Colorado in 2007, he spent 30 years as a truck driver, covering miles and raising a son back in New Jersey. But he’d been around farming all his life, starting with chickens and horses as a kid, and later working on a dairy farm in Vermont after serving in the Marines. When he moved to Montrose, it didn’t take long before he was back in the business of raising livestock.

At some points, Burkhardt has focused more on pig farming than poultry, and pork sales have been a major part of his business. However, rising costs have made that more difficult in recent years. “Processing prices have more than doubled,” he said. “It’s just gotten insane. It’s hard to make it work when costs keep climbing.” While he still raises pigs, the surge in egg demand has shifted his focus more toward poultry.

His partner in the farm, Samantha Weber, has been by his side for over a decade. Though not related by blood, they work together like family. “She’s like a daughter to me,” Burkhardt said. “We’ve been doing this for 12 years.”

These are actual free-roam chickens, who are out of their shelters from around 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day, and they’re free to wander as far as they want.

Some end up in Burkhardt’s front yard, while others choose to roam the several acres of pasture land. “When we say free-range, we mean it,” he said. “They’ve got all the space they want, and they know where home is.”

Part of the appeal, he says, is not just the price but the quality. “Our eggs are fresh. These hens are out in the pasture all day, eating what they find, doing what chickens do. The yolks are dark, rich. People taste the difference.”

Unlike mass-produced supermarket eggs, which may be weeks old before they hit store shelves, Burkhardt’s eggs go straight from the henhouse to customers. “What you get at the store could be a month or two old,” he said. “Our eggs are laid, cleaned, and sold within days. There’s no comparison.”

Despite the national concerns over avian flu, Burkhardt isn’t too worried. “We’re pretty isolated out here,” he said. “The only way we’d get it is if wild birds brought it in.”

That doesn’t mean he takes the health of his flock lightly. He’s careful about who enters his farm and where his feed comes from, buying grain locally to avoid contamination from outside sources.

And the Western Slope has largely been untouched by the avian flu.

For Burkhardt, farming is more than just a business. It pays the bills and pays him a little bit, but he farms eggs because he loves to do it. He enjoys working outdoors, taking care of his animals and supplying the community with quality food.

“I like taking care of critters,” Burkhardt said. “I’ve been around animals my whole life, and they’re a lot smarter than people think. They all got personalities, just like we do.”

“People don’t always think about where their food comes from,” he added. “I’ve had people tell me they don’t want to know. But I think they should. When you buy from a farm like this, you know what you’re getting. You know the chickens are healthy, you know the eggs are fresh.”

The farm’s popularity has grown largely through word of mouth. At the Montrose Winter Farmers Market, Burkhardt is the only vendor selling eggs. Last Saturday, he sold 54 dozen and 13 18-packs—nearly 90 dozen eggs in a single market day. And he could have sold more. “People kept coming up asking if I had any left,” he said. “I told them, ‘Nope, sold out.’”

Burkhardt has no plans to stop farming anytime soon. When asked how long he sees himself doing this, he doesn’t hesitate.

“Probably until my heart stops.”

Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.