Edwin J. Carey

Edwin J. Carey, Marion, began his life’s work at the tender age of seven taking care of the family’s poultry flock. Over the years, Carey Farms grew to include a 250,000 egg capacity hatchery and 1,400 crop acres. Carey devoted more than 65 years to improving the genetic capabilities of laying hens and was considered by many as one of the leading poultry breeders and innovators in poultry housing and development.

In 1936, he had the highest production pen and individual hen in the United States. In the early 1950’s he started offering a franchise program of his breeding stock to other poultry producers. This resulted in the sale of thousands of Carey-Nickability bred white leghorn chicks nationally and world-wide. At the time of his death, he had just developed a strain of white Leghorn chicks that could be sexed by color as opposed to the time consuming wing length method. His pioneering efforts contributed greatly to the overall development of the high producing, feed efficient layers in production today.

He received the Ohio Poultry Association Golden Egg award in 1970 and the Outstanding Service to the Poultry award.

He was a member of the Marion County Farm Bureau, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the International Baby Chick Association, the American Poultry & Hatchery Federation, as well as the National Single Comb White Leghorn Club.

Carey passed away in 1988. He and his wife, Lucile (also deceased) had four children.