meet your neighbors
An Unlikely Endeavor By Michael Kinney
Davis Freedom Farm came to be in the wake of COVID-19
Kimberley Davis wasn’t particularly fond of chickens. A more apt de- lover now when I did not have the intention of actually ever loving a chicken.” scription would be to say she didn’t think too much about them at all before 2020. It didn’t take long for Kimberley to turn from being an apathetic caregiver to noThe next thing Kimberley knew, a global pandemic had hit and she soon found ticing she was learning more and more about her new tenants. her entire world revolving around raising and caring for an animal she rarely gave “After a few weeks of sitting and making sure they are eating the right foods, a single thought to just months before. because I didn’t know what I was doing, I just needed to learn from the chickens “I’m so surprised with how quickly you can fall in love with something you just to make sure they liked the food that I got and they’re OK with the water set up,” think you are making a buck off of,” Kimberley said. “I’m very passionate about it. Kimberley said. “After a couple of hours each day for a few weeks of sitting outside Everything in my life, other than my husband and my children, actually revolves and actually watching them, I realized that chickens have characteristics and attiaround the love and care I have for the chickens.” tudes and different mind sets from each other. They are very unique; they are not Kimberley is the owner and operajust chickens.” tor of Davis Freedom Farm (davisKimberley was first spurred on freedomfarm.com) in Tahlequah, to become an entrepreneur by the Kimberley Davis did not Okla. It’s slogan is “Make Hatchidea of being what economists are like chickens, but she ing Great Again.” now calling a disruptor. That is banow breeds poultry. She, with the help of her three sically someone who isn’t happy children, raises free-range chickens with the current system and tries to and specializes in selling organic change it for the better. eggs. What Kimberley had noticed was Kimberley chose an interest to the price of eggs at grocery stores start a business she had no history was skyrocketing, which was causing or experience in. In May 2020, the problems for those in her communiCOVID-19 pandemic was ramping ty. The average price for one dozen up and she was learning the ropes eggs was $1.82 in October 2021 acof being a chicken farmer. cording to U.S. Labor Department’s “It took a lot of failures,” KimberBureau of Labor Statistics. In 2019, ley said. “A lot of heartbreak. But the price was around $1.40. through all of it, we are definitely “It became like a hobby at first. making progress.” Then I just decided everyone is However, Kimberley admits, it struggling during this time, so why wasn’t exactly her idea to take on don’t I start a little tiny business such a venture. and give people affordable hatching “It was actually my mother’s eggs,” Kimberley said. “That way we idea,” Kimberley said. “She is elwon’t have to rely on outside sourcderly and she wanted something to es during COVID when we have to do to pass the time while she was stay home.” living with me while she was ill. Kimberley said it began by her Then she got too ill to physically checking out community pages on take care of them and I ended up social media. There, she saw there Submitted Photo being the caregiver of her chickens. was a need. I was not happy about it at first.” “I started seeing a lot of people in the community asking if anyKimberley was a stay-at-home mother in the pre-pandemic one had any eggs for sale, but they couldn’t a whole bunch. So years. Raising three children with her husband and running a they had like $5 to work with and asked how many eggs they Tahlequah, Okla. household was enough to fill up her days. can get with that?” Kimberley said. “I saw enough of the comThen all of a sudden, Kimberley had to take on the responsibility of caring munity posts on Facebook that I thought why don’t we just go for the six chickens her mother brought home. ahead and give these guys 30 eggs for $5? Just helping people “It was chaotic to me,” Kimberley said. “I didn’t have the time for it. I who could not afford the basic necessities.” wasn’t really interested in chickens at all. Over time, I just actually fell in From there, the Davis Freedom Farm was born. The six origlove with them and I realized how great they were. I’m definitely a chicken inal chickens grew to 150 by September 2021.
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Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
DECEMBER 13, 2021
