Charles B. Nichols started egg farming in 1953 with his wife, Isabella, and their three sons, Charles, David, and Steve. Charles spent many years caring for their chickens, finding innovative ways to improve their way of life. In the mid-1970s, to reduce the stress on his hens, Charles took all his birds out of cages and placed nests on the floor for them to walk in and out of at their leisure. Charles was way ahead of the cage free curve, always trying to improve his chickens' environment, and his cage free houses became a benchmark for humane treatment in the industry.

Today, Chino Valley Rancher hens live in environmentally controlled community houses where they roam the floor of the houses, scratch in the soil, and dust bathe. The houses have ample floor space with elevated nest boxes and perches for roosting, like the hen houses before battery cage operations became the standard for commercial egg production. Chino Valley Rancher hens drink clean, fresh water from the Nichols's own wells, are fed a natural diet of healthy grains free from animal by products and are never given hormones. In 1989, Charles's son Steve, and Steve's wife, Kathy, assumed management of Chino Valley Ranchers, and their son Christopher recently joined the family business.

They pick up their cage free eggs within hours of being candled, cleaned, and packed.