Hello from "The Oregon Trail!"
Our small family owned hatchery is nestled between Ontario and the rural town of Vale, Oregon.
My sister and I have always lived the "rural" lifestyle.
Our family has handled and raised poultry for several generations. We are the 6th generation (that we know of) to keep chickens, so you could say it's become a family tradition! We are current members of the APA, The Marans Club, The Marans Chicken Club USA, Ameraucana Alliance and Ameraucana Breeders Club.
We appreciate growing our garden every summer, canning the fruits of our labor and raising quality birds.
We were homeschooled and spent a lot of time at our grandpa's 40+ acre farm in Florida. We learned so much about animal behavior, animal welfare and responsibility. Our grandpa is definitely our biggest influence for raising chickens, he shared years of knowledge and experience with us. When we moved to Eastern Oregon in 2016, we purchased chickens the second the opportunity presented itself. Our flock was a mixed variety of egg layers, all chicks we bought from the local feed store and TSC. We found the quality of the birds far from perfect, most of the adults we raised presented health issues common with hatchery stock and egg color was a huge disappointment. We decided we would purchase directly from breeders, but finding them in the high desert proved tricky, especially being birds of prey country! After connecting with several local breeders, we quickly realized the gene pool was very limited out here and we would need to introduce new blood to our area. At the same time, we also found there was a growing demand for chickens that lay unique colored eggs. In the fall of 2019, High Desert Hatchery was born after an approving nod and smile from grandpa.
Valerie remained very active with FFA during highschool, while helping manage the growing business, she became Vice President and she even showed sheep (due to chickens not being accepted at fair)
We shipped in proven lines, from as far as Tennessee, and we've been working with our flocks for several generations now.
All of our birds are bred to standard. We have carefully selected our breeder flocks to lock-in quality traits. Temperament is often overlooked in breeding programs, but it is important to us that all of our birds are docile and easy to handle.
Customers are often amazed how calm our birds are compared to the typical mail-order chicks they raise.
(A small flock of 3-4 chickens is easily kept in the average backyard and can help eliminate food waste!)
We have personally witnessed how owning a flock can actually change a persons productivity level, which results in a more balanced life-style and better mental health.
Farm to table eggs are much fresher than most grocery store eggs, their yolk color is vibrant and contains more flavor! Our regular egg customers always remind us about the drastic difference in the quality and taste.
Our goal is to provide outstanding birds, bred towards the APA standard of perfection (SOP)
We are contributing our passion for chickens by preserving rare and heritage breeds for future generations.
It's not easy work, but it's certainly rewarding.
-Rebecca and Valerie Wood, Owners of High Desert Hatchery