A new standard in electric refuse and recycling collection
A corn-fusing experience that’s a-maze-ing
January 13, 2025
SEYMOUR – A local farming business in Outagamie County is beginning to redefine the agricultural landscape by bridging poultry, entrepreneurship and technology.
By utilizing a web-based auction site, Breanna Patz said Pips ’n Chicks aims to connect a vetted network of buyers and sellers to ensure accessibility to the best flock.
Not only is the business venture empowering other small farms to thrive, but Patz said it is also pioneering an opportunity for sustainability and genetic excellence.
A great idea hatches
Eight years ago, after discovering the animal show world, Patz – an agricultural engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls – said she began raising Coturnix quail and standard-bred animals after discovering the show world.
In 2020, she said her passion for poultry and genetics, paired with the COVID-19 pandemic, led to her opening her own business – Pip ‘n Chicks.
“During the lockdown, we were looking at hatching chicks out for others,” she said. “We have grown quite a bit since then.”
Patz said her business name was fittingly inspired by part of the hatching process.
“The hardest part of hatching eggs for us was the ‘pipping’ stage – when the chicks first poke a hole in the shell, but aren’t ready to hatch yet,” she said. “We would watch the incubator for hours to see if the pips got any larger, hence the name ‘Pips ’n Chicks.’”
Patz said she began to focus on ways to educate the community and her customers about birds and was determined to find a way to encourage healthier and more beneficial flocks.
“Pips ’n Chicks is dynamic and innovative for poultry breeders, geneticists and hobbyists alike,” she said. “We’re here to help, and we want everyone to start with the best lines and genetics possible.”
In addition to being a business owner, Patz said she is a licensed poultry judge, a member of the American Poultry Association and serves as president of the American Coturnix Breeder’s Association.
“I also help run the local fair’s poultry barn, as well as the Coturnix Kids Program – making sure the next generation of kids have a good place to start,” she said.
As her business started to evolve, Patz said she started helping host an annual virtual bird show, which showcases chickens, waterfowl and quail – and has, she said, quickly become the largest online show in the world.
Through it all, Patz said education continues to be a critical wing to her business as she pursues her bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on mechanical operations.
In conjunction with her studies, she said she is now raising her own flock at the Mann Valley Laboratory Farm.
“I am running a research project, and right now I have only a handful, 25 birds, but this spring we are approved to hatch up to 1,000 quail,” she said.
Patz said the project entails researching Coturnix quail in all different stages of development. She said she has been working with the Coturnix Breeder’s Association and international experts to develop “Standard of Perfection” criteria for Coturnix quail – a first for the species.
“Everything I do, I try to center around building a better bird and a better community,” she said. “With my personal breeding projects, I am making sure my birds fit the proposed standard of perfection.”
When it comes to her flock management, Patz said details are important and help her to keep her business running smoothly.
“I keep records of every single bird I have, from feed ratios to weight to pedigrees spanning as far back as the line itself,” she said.
Technology that fits like a feather
Before opening Pips ’n Chicks, Patz said she spent two years studying at Michigan Tech where she discovered the power of technology.
During her time there, she said she designed and built a satellite prototype for NASA and helped the physics department create a laser spectroscope that could detect diabetes from a single human breath.
Now, Patz said she hopes to bring that same level of excellence and precision to agriculture to help farms of all sizes by introducing an online auction – which aims to maintain genealogy lines and simplify how birds are sold.
“I’m planning on hosting auctions each month with different lots – eggs, breeding sets, chicks, etc. in each auction,” she said.
Patz said the auctions will allow customers to bid and buy with confidence as they shop from prescreened sellers – all of which will submit a consignment form, with Patz taking care of marketing graphics and online promotion.
Though there is no cost for sellers to list their stock, Pips ’n Chicks earns 10% of the sale to cover operational costs – a fee she said is already lower than those charged by sites, like eBay or Etsy.
“The auction site fills a big need in the poultry community, and also gives me a place to direct new breeders and 4-H kids knowing that the listings are all quality birds from vetted breeders,” she said.
Patz said it will also allow breeders to buy birds from across the United States from smaller businesses they may have not discovered otherwise.
Furthermore, she said it will introduce breeds and lines that aren’t as common.
“The biggest thing is that it’s a way for people to connect,” she said. “Sellers can get good prices for their animals, knowing their work and lineage will be valued.”
Patz said she was inspired to organize the auctions to ensure quality and to create a specialized platform for bird sales that other sites couldn’t provide.
“Many of the livestock communities on Facebook are struggling as they no longer allow animal sales,” she said.
Patz said quite a few breeders have tried to sell on eBay, but because it isn’t focused on poultry, “they don’t really regulate NPIP laws or animal shipping practices.”
The site in which auctions are hosted by Pips ’n Chicks, she said, is user-friendly for customers.
Auction listings include images of the animals, pedigree and performance information, as well as a bio on the farm or breeder.
Patz said it also displays the time left to bid and current offers.
Current auctions include listings for Red Range Tuxedo Celadon Coturnix Quail hatching eggs, assorted color Button Quail hatching eggs and Jersey Giant eggs, and she said new ones will continue to be added.
The dream grows bigger
Since launching a trial auction in November, Patz said she has seen a positive response.
“It’s definitely changed the way I’ve run my business, and I expect it to keep growing as the auctions get more established,” she said.
Patz said many aspects of her business, including finances, marketing and content sharing have undergone an impactful transformation to make room for auction plans, and she couldn’t be more excited.
“All of it has shifted from local to helping a broad base of breeders, all with their own goals and dreams,” she said. “I’m happy to help others to get to the same point.”
In addition to working as a livestock caretaker at Mann Valley, Patz said she devotes an incredible amount of time to her business and setting up auctions.
She said she credits her success to networking and believes it will continue to inspire future growth.
“From phone calls with breeders across the world to sending messages and letters to people locally, I worked to get a good base of interested people together before starting, to make sure I started off strong,” she said. “A lot of it is also social media connections and word of mouth.”
Patz said there are many more auctions planned, and expanding her Pips ’n Chicks venture further is also in the works.
“I am working toward buying my own farm in Seymour after graduation with a goal to expand Pips ’n Chicks into a full-time livestock and equipment farm,” she said.
Despite her desire to work with animals full-time on a farm or her own, Patz said her university studies will be first on her list while she maintains Pips ’n Chicks.
“If the first few months have shown anything, it’s that there is a huge potential for it to keep going,” she said. “But I think the next year and a half will really be telling to see how far it can grow.”
For more information, visit pipsnchicks.com.
