From the archives...
Also see our video on sustainability - click here
Hickman's Family Farms has been family-owned and operated in Arizona since 1944. In its early days, Hickman's entered the Arizona food service market by providing fresh, locally produced eggs direct to small independent restaurants, and directly to consumers. Every afternoon, one little refrigerated panel truck was sufficient to deliver the day's production to coffee shops in Glendale and to Carnation Restaurant in the big city of Phoenix. Bill and Gertie Hickman displayed the entrepreneurial insight that has kept Hickman's competitive for decades.
By 1993, Hickman's was left standing as the only Arizona egg producer with chickens and a USDA-inspected processing plant. Despite the challenges of the egg industry, the Glendale operation continued to expand. In the late 1990s a new operation opened in Buckeye with laying houses that are each called home by 130,000 hens.
In August 2002, a facility was launched in Maricopa where each house holds 230,000 birds.
Despite its massive growth, Hickman's Family Farms remains committed to supplying fresh product at competitive prices.
We welcome your questions. Please email:
customerservice@hickmanseggs.com
Retail Shopping
You can find Hickman's eggs - the freshest eggs in Arizona - in AJ's, Albertson's, Bashas', Costco, Fred Meyer, Food City, IGA, Wal-Mart and through stores in a number of convenience store chains.
Going Green
Hickman's Family Farms utilize stringent methods of conservation and recycling to remain as environmentally-friendly ("green") as possible. Wash water is recycled and reused, and manure is dried, ground, and turned into high quality fertilizer. By the time we are through at even our largest facilities, we actually discard into dumpsters less waste than the average apartment building does in a day.
Corporate Citizenship
We believe in supporting the community, and contribute to a variety of efforts and causes, including Homeward Bound, Arizona Farm Bureau's Ag-Day, the Glendale Historical Society, the Heard Museum, and many fairs and rodeos. During the Easter season, Hickman's eggs are the star attractions at many egg hunts. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are times of filling food bags and assisting food banks.
A Brief Eggs-planation
 New arrivals get a drink of water. |
 Chicks ready to be placed in their new homes. |
 The new kids in town. |
 Handled with care, the chicks are placed one at a time. |
 The fourth generation of Hickman women place chicks. The company was started by Grandma Hickman, and owes its existence to the "girls" -- including the hens! |
|
 Clint Hickman, "Doc", and distinguished guests visit the Arlington site. |
 The hens seem to be saying, "Don't bother us. We're working." |
 It's a slow, gentle stream of eggs 24 hours a day. |
 A conveyor belt moves the eggs from the houses to the processing division. |
 Each and every Hickman egg has been looked at by both computer and human before it reaches the consumer. |
 Additional spot-check "candling" inspection. |
 "candling" inspection. |
 Egg packing at Arlington. |
 Processed, packed, stacked, and ready to go. |
 Liquid egg product comes from quality eggs inspected individually. |
 A chilled storage tank for liquid egg. |
 Outside the houses at Arlington, with a view of the massive ventilator fans. |
 Uncaged birds in California. |
 The birds are a Rhode Island Red cross. |
 At work on the West Coast. |
 Uncaged birds. |
 "California girls." |
 They're brown, but they're still a Rhode Island Red cross. |
 They create a loud crowd. |
 Uncaged hens on the job. |
Candling is the process of inspecting the quality of the interior and exterior of each egg, both by the human eye and with a computer. This function occurs after the egg has been washed and the shell sealed with a protective mist of mineral oil and water.
Eggs that have been washed, sealed, and candled are weighed and sent to their final destinations. Five sizes of eggs (jumbo, extra large, large, medium, and small) make their way to variety of package designs.
Much has changed since the old days in the Glendale operation. Today, eggs
are transferred from the hen house on conveyor belts directly to processing
machine's washing point. The elimination of any need to move eggs by hand or
other equipment reduces factors that might cause breakage, and reduces waste.