In Kuujjuaq, the early bird gets the eggs

Signage for the new egg production facility in Akulivik waits to be posted. The project is called Pikliuliapik, or Where there are eggs, and should launch in the coming weeks. (PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID QAQATUK)

In Kuujjuaq, hens live in a converted and heated shipping container, where the group lays about 100 eggs each day. (FILE PHOTO)

KUUJJUAQ — As you approach the converted shipping container on the outskirts of Kuujjuaq, the punctuated clucking of the hens inside comes within earshot.

By the time you reach the door, the birds’ sounds have risen to a frenzy of garbled excitement.

That’s a good sign, says Etua Koneak, a member of the local Niqliit wildlife committee who oversees Nunavik’s first egg production facility.

Those sounds means the birds are healthy and happy, but it’s only positive to a point.

Having too many visitors tends to make the birds excited, but can also be stressful, which means they’ll lay fewer eggs, Koneak said.

“This is all new to us,” he said. “We’re learning as we go.”

The birds arrived in Kuujjuaq this past July as part of a project to deliver healthy and inexpensive food to the region.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from about 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., the coop is open for Kuujjuammiut to drop by and pick up eggs, free of charge.

The 119 hens are together laying 95 to 100 eggs each day, which are easily distributed to the community.

“Whenever we open, the eggs go,” Koneak said. “And they taste good, better than other eggs.”

The goal is to start selling eggs to the community, but the coop must first make a few additions to meet food inspection regulations, Koneak said.

A Quebec veterinarian just visited the coop, and reported the birds to be in good health — an important first step.

The birds seem to have adjusted well to their trip north and into a new setting. Koneak said of the 120 birds first shipped up, 119 remain. One hen with a broken wing was getting picked on by the other birds and had to put down, he explained.

The project still needs some stability; the facility’s management has changed hands once, and could likely again in November, with the local hunting, fishing and trapping association’s board of directors up for election.

Along the Hudson coast, the region’s second community slated for egg production, Akulivik, is close to getting started.

The facility to house the hens has been constructed and is being fitted with electrical work this week, at which point the hens can be ordered.