Freedom Ranger Hatchery, which grew out of Martha and Joel’s original business, expanded in 2023 by adding 2 x SmartSetPro™ NF24, 2 x SmartSetPro™ NF 18 setters and 3 x SmartHatchPro™ NF 8 hatchers. In early 2025, they expanded once again and added 2 x SmartSetPro™ NF 24 setters and 3 x SmartHatchPro™NF 8 hatchers.
Also in 2023, Hillside Hatchery expanded production by adding 1 x SmartHatchPro™ NF 8 hatcher. With business continuing to flourish, Hillside is further increasing production capacitiy with an order for 2 x SmartSetPro™ NF 12 setter and 1 x SmartHatchPro™ NF 8 hatcher, with installation to begin in August 2025.
A family of hatcheries
Freedom Ranger Hatchery, Fifth Day Farm, Blue Banty Farm, and Hillside Hatchery supply a variety of day-old chicks, ducklings, turkeys, geese, silkies, and guineas. They have their own breeding stock, housed in family-owned and operated farms.
The Martin family works jointly with the Fox, Horst, Moser, and Detweiler families that their four daughters Crystal, Ginger, Lisa, and Sonya married into, to support all four hatcheries.
Kendall Fox says: “We are a network of hatcheries that ships all over the United States—but we’re also a tightly knit family business located in rural Lancaster County.”
The first chicken hatchery, in what is now the family of hatcheries, was born in Joel and Martha Martin’s backyard in the 1980s – on the same property where they raised their four daughters.
The Martins began by raising Bantam Silkies and Guinea. In the late 1990’s, they began hatching their own birds. In the early 2000’s, after years spent perfecting their hatchery practices with those two breeds, they expanded into the chicken business.
Freedom Ranger Hatchery
At around the same time that the Martins broke into the chicken business, their daughter Ginger married Kendall Fox. In 2005 the Foxes took over the hatching of Silkies. Then in 2007, they launched Fox Farm & Hatchery, Inc., which in 2010 became Freedom Ranger Hatchery. Today the company hatches broiler chicks.
Fifth Day Farm
The family of hatcheries expanded even more when daughter Sonya married Stephen Horst – who joined the family business by lending a hand at the guinea hatchery. He later started managing Muscovy Ducks for Joel and Martha. Around 2010, Stephen and Sonya established Fifth Day Farm, Inc. and took over hatching Muscovy Ducks and Khaki Campbell Ducks. In 2019, they added Brown Chinese Geese to their hatchery. In 2022, when Joel and Marty retired, Fifth day Farm took over the guinea hatchery and sold the Muscovy business to Shirlock Acres.
Blue Banty Farm
Also in 2010, Crystal married Rodney Moser, who had initially joined the family’s hatcheries by helping Joel and Martha with hatching Guinea Keets. Within a few years, Rodney and Crystal launched Blue Banty Farm and took over hatching the Bantam Silkies.
Hillside Hatchery
That wasn’t all that happened in 2010. Lisa married Art Detweiler, who had been working for Freedom Ranger Hatchery since 2002 and had quickly learned the ropes of the chicken hatchery business. In 2012, Art and Lisa founded their own hatchery, starting out as Art’s Hatchery and now branded as Hillside Hatchery. They exclusively hatch the family’s egg-laying breeds.
Commenting on the long-standing, successful relationship with the hatchery group, Ken Long, Sales Director for Pas Reform North America says: “We thank the Martin, Fox, Horst, Moser, and Detweiler families for their continued trust in Royal Pas Reform’s equipment and service. We wish them continued success and many more years of growth.”