Heidi Welch is currently the Partridge Manager at MacFarlane Pheasants Inc., but she has played many other roles, on our farm, in the three years she has worked here. She started as the Assistant Manager for Hungarian Partridges at the beginning of the chick season in 2014. When that season wound down, she was transferred to the Hen Barn where she learned about other functions on the farm, including artificial insemination and egg and data collection.
When the next chick season started, Heidi returned to the brooder crew as Partridge Manager. Heidi, like most employees on the farm, has helped in other departments, when needed. This includes catching birds, helping in the hatchery, helping in the office, and working at different locations. After all that, she has still found time to train new employees and learn to run the different equipment available on the farm.
When I asked Heidi what a typical day on the farm is like, she said, “busy.” Her day begins with preparing the crew for the day’s work. After plans are made and discussions completed, the crew splits off to do the morning chores. The morning chores in brooder barns are very thorough and include cleaning plassons, feeding chicks, checking temperature and fan controls and making sure everything is properly working and that the birds look comfortable.
During the day, Heidi can be found setting up a room, cleaning out a room, pressure washing, feed vacuuming, or top dressing a room. The afternoon is spent making sure everything is running properly and chicks are all in good shape before everyone leaves! When I asked Heidi what the favorite part of her day was, she responded, “I don’t know if I have a favorite part of the day, but I do enjoy seeing a fresh clean room, all set up and ready for brand new chicks to be placed there.”
Heidi finds the middle to end of chick season very rewarding. It is the busiest time in the season when all the barns are full. “We can get a little stressed,” she says, “but if you take a step back , you can see how well we have done keeping the chicks healthy and seeing how the season’s improvements will help the farm succeed.”
Heidi attended UW Platteville for one year before deciding she was ready to go to work and get on-the-job experience. She enjoys being a part of MacFarlane Pheasants, being busy, and learning new things. Her spare time for the past eight years has been spent doing dog sitting and grooming. She also enjoys spending time with her daughter, traveling, fishing, cooking, and photography. Heidi is a very diverse and busy person!
It is easy to hear, when talking to Heidi, that she loves her work at MacFarlane Pheasants. She ended our interview by adding that she enjoys “working with a great team of employees, who all come together and work hard for great success.” Thank you Heidi for your great attitude and hard work!
