When we first visited Hilliker's Egg Ranch, it was 7 a.m. You could hear the roosters crowing and the chickens already busy as we pulled up the gravel driveway. A line of cars had already formed, with families and locals waiting patiently for their fresh eggs from this historic farm in San Diego.
That's when Frank rolled up in his truck. We handed him a six-pack of beer, and he welcomed us with a big smile and plenty of jokes. Right away, we knew this was going to be a good day.
Hilliker's is one of the oldest egg ranches in San Diego County, and it shows — not in neglect, but in a kind of quiet confidence. The hens are cage-free, vegetarian-fed, and given space to move. Frank talks about animal welfare the way serious farmers do: practically, with data, and without performative drama.
The farm store is a neighborhood institution. Locals pull in early on weekend mornings for eggs, cheese, jam, and honey. There's a regularity to it that feels like a small-town ritual — the kind of place that survives not because it markets itself cleverly, but because it has never let people down.
Frank walked us through the laying houses with the ease of someone who has done it ten thousand times. He explained the lighting cycles, the feed schedules, the subtle signals that tell you when a flock is happy or stressed. It was a masterclass in observation, delivered in passing.
What struck us most was how rooted the Hilliker family is in this place. This is not a diversified portfolio farm. This is one thing, done extraordinarily well, for a very long time.
This material is based upon work supported by the Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under grant number 24FMPPCA1238. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
