2 months after losing whole flock of chickens, suburban Chicago farm loses federal funding too
A family-owned farm in Chicago's south suburbs recently lost its entire flock of chickens to bird flu.
Now, Kakadoodle Farm in Matteson is nursing another wound. The owners of the farm said they just lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding.
But the owners, husband and wife Marty and MariKate Thomas, say they have no plans on slowing down their operation.
In January, the farm lost its entire flock of nearly 3,000 hens to bird flu — in a devastating blow to the new farmers who have only been in operation since 2020.
CBS News Chicago was on the ground just after Kakadoodle Farm lost its flock. The Thomases initially thought freezing temperatures were to blame as a handful of its chickens started dying without warning, but they said it was later confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the cause was indeed bird flu.
The 30 birds that initially got sick and died turned into hundreds that had all seemed to be healthy. Ultimately, all the birds had to be euthanized.
Weeks later, the Thomases found out they were losing more than $200,000 in grant money after the Trump administration put a freeze on federal funding. It was money they were planning to lean on after their bird flu fiasco.
"When we got the email, we just both looked at each other," said MariKate Thomas. "We were like, 'OK, well, what's next?'"
"I feel like we've been training for this moment," said Mary Thomas. "Like there have been so many things, so many obstacles."
The setbacks have now put the farm in limbo. The owners are waiting to see if the federal grants they lost are reinstated.
The chicken coop at Kakadoodle Farm remains vacant, as a mandatory quarantine remains in effect until June 1 after the bird flu outbreak.
With an egg shortage currently fueling prices across the country, chickens have become farmers' new gold.
"There are no chickens to be had. We can't even buy chicks right now," said Marty Thomas. "We hopefully have some reserved for August, but that is kind of an unknown thing right now too."
Looking ahead, the family farm owners said they will likely have to raise or borrow money to sustain their business — just to make it through the rest of the year.
Instead of agonizing, the family is now mobilizing. They are focusing on their online marketplace, which connects customers directly to local, chemical-free, and clean food as a new wave of clients discover them.
"It's helping us to focus on the things that are inside of our control," said MariKate Thomas.
"We had, you know, all of this media attention is helping to grow that online marketplace," said Marty Thomas. "If only we had eggs to sell."
