The Omelet Ranch!

What happens when a person with a background in design and marketing, becomes interested in chickens? You may find the answer to that question quite surprising!

It all began when my fiance and I impulsively decided to attend a class on raising chickens. The class motivated me to give raising backyard chickens a try, and the journey to The Omelet Ranch began. Of the first four chickens I brought home, two didn't survive. I didn't want the remaining two to be lonely, and so purchased four more. It quickly became apparent that chickens are not only fun company with an enormous amount of character, but also an obsession!

As I began learning more about raising chickens, I discovered that some types - often called heritage breeds - had become extremely rare, and in some cases dangerously close to extinction. The idea of helping to restore those breeds appealed to me tremendously, and so my education began in earnest.

My obsession with these rare fowl led me to become interested in the idea of breeding. I learned about the American Poultry Association, and the standards they set for each breed. I began to see how many of the rare breeds needed a great deal of work on the part of breeders in order to meet those standards.

Bringing a breed back from the brink of extinction, improving it, and sustaining it appeals to my creative sensibilities. Working with rare breeds requires both dedication and integrity. I pride myself on doing the very best I can for the breed - not for fame or fortune, but because I love sharing gorgeous, birds that meet the standards with everyone.

As an example, if I want to add new bloodlines to one of my flocks, I feel it is my responsibility as a breeder to search out and find the absolute best examples that fit the breed standards. In that way, you can be assured that every hatching egg from The Omelet Ranch produces a chick that is true to APA standards.

My passion for improving the breeds I raise is coupled with a degree of honesty and a desire for quality that I hope translates to my customers being happy and their chickens flourishing.

Aside from being committed to improving the breeds I raise, I am also excited about being able to share what I have learned. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to speak to audiences made up of community groups like Scout troops, home-schooled students, 4-H Club members, and individual families. Speaking to those groups led me to another wonderful opportunity: being interviewed by The Today Show.  Being able to educate others about a topic I feel passionate about, motivates me almost as much as my birds do.