In the early 20^th century, unless you lived in a very large city, your family probably had a small flock of chickens to provide eggs and meat. Women often earned the only spare cash the family had (the egg money) with her egg sales. Today, we run to the store to buy dressed chickens in packages and eggs in cartons. In those days they had to save the eggs until they had enough for their needs, and someone in the family had to slaughter the chickens, pluck the feathers, and clean them before they were ready for the frying pan.