Hickman's Family Farms in Arizona: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Hickman's Family Farms is the largest egg company in the Southwest, according to its own description reported by KJZZ, and it has been owned and operated in Arizona since 1944. The family company says its flock of about 6 million laying hens placed it among the top twenty egg producers in the United States, and it is headquartered in Buckeye, west of Phoenix. Its recent fight against avian influenza makes it a case study in biosecurity for every poultry operator.
| Location | Buckeye, Maricopa County, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1944, as published in the company's 70th anniversary release |
| Sectors | Shell eggs; laying hens; fertilizer from dried manure |
| Scale | About 6 million laying hens as of the 2014 anniversary release; four Arizona farms reported in 2025 |
| Why it is elite | Describes itself as the largest egg company in the Southwest and a top-twenty U.S. egg producer |
| Ownership | Family owned; third generation of the Hickman family in management |
| Official website | Hickman's Family Farms official site |
History of Hickman's Family Farms
The company dates to 1944, when Nell Hickman began selling eggs from the back porch with a flock of 50 chickens. Her son Bill and his wife Gertie formed the second generation of management, and Bill and Gertie's son Glenn Hickman became chief executive. The company's 70th anniversary release lists Glenn, Billy, Clint and Sharman Hickman as the third generation of management.
Over the decades the farm grew from a porch-and-farm-store business selling to small independent restaurants and directly to consumers into a regional wholesale egg company. By its 70th anniversary the company reported hen and processing operations in Arizona, Colorado and California, with headquarters remaining in Buckeye. A farm store in Glendale was relocated in the late 1990s, and a hen mascot named Henrietta became a familiar figure at parades and events across the state.
What Hickman's Family Farms Grows and Raises
Hickman's is a vertically organized laying-hen business: it houses hens, collects, grades, packs and distributes eggs, and sells them under its own name. Its 2014 release put the flock at about 6 million layers, a figure that has since been affected by disease. KJZZ reported in 2025 that the company operated four farms in Arizona, including one in Tonopah, and also had flocks in Colorado.
The operation also manages the by-products of egg production. The company says it produces fertilizer from dried, ground manure and recycles its water, which matters in the arid Phoenix basin where water and nutrient management are constant concerns for livestock operations.
In 2025 highly pathogenic avian influenza hit the Arizona flocks. KJZZ reported that the company said it had lost about 95 percent of its Arizona birds, that roughly 600,000 birds remained at farms in Maricopa and in Grand Junction, Colorado, and that repopulating would take about two years. Biosecurity measures cited included lasers and air cannons to deter wild birds, required showers and special uniforms for barn entry, and multiple washes for trucks entering the property. The company has asked federal officials to allow vaccination against the virus.
How Hickman's Family Farms Makes Money
Shell eggs
The core revenue stream is selling shell eggs. The company began by selling to small independent restaurants and directly to consumers and grew into a larger regional supplier, which is the usual path from direct sales to wholesale volume.
Farm store and direct sales
Hickman's operated a farm store in Glendale, relocated in the late 1990s, which kept a direct line to household customers alongside wholesale accounts.
By-products
The company states that it turns dried, ground manure into fertilizer. Selling a by-product converts a disposal cost into a second product line.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Hickman's Family Farms
Diversified customers and by-products spread risk. A company that sells to restaurants, retailers and consumers, and also markets fertilizer, is less exposed to any single price swing in the egg market.
Biosecurity is now a core business function, not an add-on. The Hickman's experience shows the value of multiple sites, strict entry protocols, and early planning with state animal health officials and the USDA. Operators in any region should map how a disease emergency would affect cash flow, labor and flock replacement, and discuss risk coverage with their lender and insurer.
Few farms can claim a hen mascot who works parades, and Henrietta of Buckeye does it with more poise than most politicians. For readers who like their farm.FM reading served with a side of farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, an egg company is a gift: the puns write themselves, though no hen has ever laid one on schedule for the comedy desk. We tip our caps to the family that has kept Arizona's breakfast supplied since 1944.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Hickman's Family Farms
Website: https://hickmanseggs.com/
Headquarters are in Buckeye, Arizona. Use the contact page on the company's own website for sales, store and media inquiries; confirm details before traveling, November 2026.
Hickman's Family Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Hickman's Family Farms - The company's official website
- 70th anniversary release - Company history, generations and flock size
- KJZZ on the bird flu losses - Independent coverage of the 2025 outbreak and rebuild plan
- Arizona Department of Agriculture - State agency covering animal health and poultry disease response
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official national and state farm statistics
Hickman's Family Farms FAQ
Where is Hickman's Family Farms based?
The company is headquartered in Buckeye, Arizona, in the west Phoenix valley, and its operations include farms in Arizona and Colorado.
When was Hickman's Family Farms founded?
The company dates to 1944, when Nell Hickman started selling eggs from a flock of 50 chickens.
How did bird flu affect the company?
KJZZ reported in 2025 that the company said it had lost about 95 percent of its Arizona birds and expected the rebuild to take about two years.
Is Hickman's family owned?
Yes. The company's anniversary release describes three generations of Hickman family management.
Hickman's Family Farms shows how a porch egg business became a regional leader and how disease risk can test even the best-run flock. For more on the state's producers, see the Arizona farms guide and the other profiled operations.