Expanding and Protecting the Flock
Spring chickens and egg production at Hell or High Water Farm 2025.
Kevin Helfrick holding up Maple, one of the livestock guardian dogs he partners with to protect his hens from ground and air predators.
The Helfricks started off on their feathery adventure in Wallingford with a small backyard flock of hens that they kept as pets and for fresh eggs. When they got married they decided to grow their own wedding flowers. And from their, as their knowledge base and skill set increased, the passion for farming really took root.
Then hens curiously approach visitors to their home pasture.
As the years have flown by, they are again in a place to be expanding their operation on their plot of pasture land in Enumclaw, about an hour south of Seattle.
They are looking to triple their egglaying hens and add a flock of ducks for egg production on a separate pasture. As nationwide shortages and disease have run rampant, our small farmers are rising up to meet demand for high-quality eggs that cut out long wait times to be on the shelves.
Small farms that pasture their hens and give them tons of room to run and forage, have healthier animals with better eggs, but they run the risk of predation. Anything from a raccoon, coyote, to an eagle or even a couple of ravens can spell disaster for young hens.
Since Kevin has employed his three live-stock guardian dogs, he has not lost a single hen. The tender affection the dogs show the hens is only rivaled by their keen vigilence.
Rosebud, another livestock guardian dog keeping an eye out for danger.
The Helfrick’s are dedicated to ethical animal husbandry and strive to give all their animals a good and meaningful life with high-quality feeds and space to roam and forage. This comes at a steep cost with inflation making quality feeds more expensive.
They also worry about rising temperatures and fires in the summer. Heat exhaustion in animals is a very real risk and something that can stress out a hen enough that she will stop laying.
Despite the mounting challenges of our ever-changing agricultural landscape, our market farmers are well aware of the risks and are working hard to diversify and do things differently.
Kevin holding up a stray egg he found in one of his greenhouses.
The new recruits keeping warm while they grow in their big girl feathers.
The Helfricks will also be bringing a variety of greens, garlic, and even strawberries to market. They continue to experiment and play with everything from soil pH to the varieties they are planting in their search for knowledge.
One of three barn cats on Hell or High Water Farm that keep the rodent population down.
Our farmers give us so much inspiration and hope along with their fresh foods, it is up to us to continue to show up for them as both the political and ecological climates heat up.
Find the Helfricks and their pastured eggs at Capitol Hill Farmers Market on Sundays 11am -3pm year round. You can also find them on their website linked here.
