Happy Nevada County Chickens

Jonette Walter has owned and loved chickens since she was a little girl. “They just make me happy!” she explains. Jonette’s 40-acre farm, Happy Nevada County Chickens, lies in the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Smartsville, California. She currently raises 38 AWA-certified laying hens of various breeds. The most important aspect of her animal husbandry practices is attention to the health and happiness of her hens, providing access to fresh pasture to scratch, peck, dust bathe and forage for insects and seeds during the day and the safety of a hen house at night. Raising chickens outdoors on pasture not only ensures better health for her hens, but also produces healthier eggs containing three times as much vitamin E, seven times more beta-carotene, and twice the omega-3 fatty acids as industrial eggs. Having the AWA logo on her egg cartons lets Jonette’s customers know that her hens are being managed according to the highest welfare and environmental standards in the U.S. She pursued AWA certification for her pastured laying hens because, she says, “the health and happiness of animals is often overlooked. I think all farms should be AWA and proud of it!” Happy Nevada County Chickens’ pastured eggs are available at local stores in Nevada County. For more information about her farm and eggs,