Our Story

My husband thought he would surprise me by signing me up to receive a Murray McMurray catalogue in the mail. Thought to himself, “It will be so nice to surprise her. She has always wanted chickens so let’s get a few!” That, my friends, is how this beautiful story starts. He had no way to prepare himself for what he had unknowingly walked into. To be fair, he probably didn’t even think I would become this obsessed. Honestly, neither did I.

So there I was, excitedly flipping through each page looking at all the chickens. I could almost picture them pecking the ground  outside the window where I sat. Then I flipped to a page that left me with my mouth open, frozen in awe. My eyes fell on a beautifully designed layout of chicken eggs in more shades and colors than I knew possible. I can confidently say it was love at first sight and instantly flipped back to the front page, writing down every bird I wanted in my flock. Two of each breed.  The only way I can describe my selection process (with respect to the fact that these are living, breathing animals) would be to picture my eight year old self walking through the candy bins that lines the walls of our small town candy store.  In my mind, I started out with a set number of ten birds, which quickly became twenty. I then upgraded to  fifty. Today, this chicken  obsession of mine has evolved into Opry Hill. A name created for the simple fact that most all our birds are named after country music singers. Initially I  wanted their names to be cohesive and have some sort of intentionality. It was one particular bird that decided it for everyone, a Golden Comet aptly named Reba. If a chicken could be a human, this one would be singing “Fancy” with her rhinestones sparkling, clucking her way across the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. 

Through  breeding chickens I have found a love for learning about their genetics and to always work towards a goal. We strive to learn, always and everyday. We seek information on what we can be implanting in our flock to improve health and longevity of our birds. How to increase the likelihood that our future birds that survive and thrive in our cold Montana winters. To strive towards the education of chicken tenders everywhere to gain sustainability and control of their flock by keeping roosters. easing the fear and stigma they create by only breeding for temperament that allows for a subdued presence with their caretakers, yet firm action in their production of the flock. These amazing rooster who will produce offspring that will inherit these traits. I will always be team rooster so I will always advocate for them here. To adhere to breed standards. To have friendly little chickens that can coexist with each other. Finally (and most importantly) to raise each generation of colored layers that surpass the last not only in egg color but with spots, freckles and blooms and only the best misfit color variations of  eggs we can provide. You probably will never find a white egg In my basket.  In short, my goal for Opry Hill has always been to make the next generation of our birds better than the last. These qualities represent Opry Hill. Locally sourced for you here in Laurel, Montana.