Final firing from Wanda’s farm studio • In 11 active carts • 16 left
Wanda's Hand-Painted Hen Egg Basket
Wanda's Hand-Painted Hen Egg Basket
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Wanda's Hand-Painted Hen Egg Basket
A hand-painted hen for your eggs — from a farm outside Decorah, Iowa
Wanda Kittleson, 71, has made her hen egg baskets on the family farm since 1983. Arthritis in her thumb no longer lets her paint the little berries. These are her last 212.
“A hen with no eggs under her is just a fancy hat. I don’t want them on a shelf in some collector’s house. I want them on a counter, full of eggs, with somebody making breakfast.”
Wanda Kittleson · Decorah, Iowa
What comes in the box
Glazed and painted by hand
Black coop-wire, about 8 inches wide
Take it to the coop and back
Wrapped twice, ready to give
What makes Wanda’s hen different
Six-sided wire, just like a chicken coop. Air reaches the eggs from every side.
Heavy glazed ceramic keeps dust, light and fruit flies off. A towel slides off — a hen stays put.
About 120 berries or flowers, each painted by hand. No two hens are exactly alike.
Holds about a dozen and a half eggs — a full day from Wanda’s 22 hens.
Lift the hen and you know right away if it’s time to visit the coop or the store.
Onions, apples, potatoes or dinner rolls — the hen keeps them all looking tidy.
“For generations, Midwest farm kitchens kept the day’s eggs in a wire basket on the counter. Covering it with a ceramic hen was the practical answer to dust and flies — and it turned a chore into something pretty. Wanda’s hens are some of the nicest I have seen: heavy, carefully painted, and made to be used every single morning.”
Rhoda Feltman · Farm-kitchen historian · Iowa
Choose your pattern
Perfect for
Why Wanda’s hen lasts
- Real ceramic. Solid and heavy, not thin plastic.
- Full glaze. Smooth surface that wipes clean with a damp cloth.
- Sturdy wire. The basket keeps its shape, even full of eggs.
- Sits firm. The hen rests snug on the basket rim and won’t slide off.
- Made to be used. Wanda’s first hen held eggs every morning for 21 years.
If she doesn’t earn her place on your counter, one email to info@backroad-goods.com is enough. Wanda would rather have her back than have her sit empty.
Tip from Wanda: Fresh, unwashed eggs from the farm can sit on the counter. Washed eggs from the grocery store belong in the fridge — then fill the hen with apples or onions instead. Every hen is painted by hand, so the pattern can differ slightly from piece to piece.
Product details
| Contents | 1 ceramic hen lid + 1 wire basket with 2 carry rings |
| Material | Glazed ceramic, black-coated metal wire |
| Patterns | Cherry Sprig · Garden Bloom |
| Size | About 8.3 in tall with lid, 7.9 in wide · basket 4.7 in deep |
| Holds | About 18 eggs, or fruit, onions and rolls |
| Care | Wipe the hen with a damp cloth; rinse the basket |
| Made by | Wanda Kittleson, Decorah, Iowa — final firing, 212 remaining |
| Made so far | About 2,600 hens since 1983 |
The Last Hens
The Last Hens
A note from the farm:
Wanda Kittleson has made her hand-painted hen egg baskets in the old milk room next to her henhouse outside Decorah, Iowa, since 1983 — about 2,600 of them, sold for $30 at the Decorah farmers market. The first one was a birthday present for her mother Alma, whose dish towel kept sliding off her egg basket. Arthritis in her right thumb no longer lets her paint the tiny berries. This fall she fired the kiln for the last time — 16 hens are left, and then the kiln will be sold.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Every hen is wrapped twice, hand-packed and ships from the US
- Two pieces: ceramic hen lid + black wire basket with two carry rings
- About 8.3 in tall, 7.9 in wide, holds about 18 eggs
- Wipe the hen with a damp cloth, rinse the basket
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@backroad-goods.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, which pattern to pick, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Fill her with eggs, live with her a week, and if she isn’t right for your counter, email info@backroad-goods.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Wanda shapes every hen from clay, lets it dry and fires it twice in her small kiln. Then she paints every berry and every flower by hand with a fine brush — about 120 on each hen — before the final glaze. Last of all she bends the black coop-wire basket around an old wooden block. No two hens are exactly alike.