Nearly 145 hens in the middle of a walnut orchard is not something you see every day, but the brood of hardworking ladies has a big job at Chinchiolo Farming in Linden.

"We've developed a chicken tractor," Walnut Farmer James Chinchiolo explained. "We've placed it in our walnut orchard to create a cycling. We're able to utilize some of the material on the ground for the chickens to forage through."

This portable hen cage is a prototype.

Inside, they roam free, eat all the weeds and extra plants every single day to help maintain the rows of walnut trees, and then when nothing but dirt remains, the all-electric cage is moved to the next plot.

"It's fully self-sustained," Chinchiolo continued. "There's water that travels with this chicken tractor. There's predator protection around the perimeter of it as well to keep any issues associated with coyotes or raccoons or things like that out. It's an opportunity also to lessen the feed."

The chickens get fed, what they leave behind brings essential nutrients to the soil, and then they produce a farm-fresh product.

"On average, we're producing about nine dozen a day," Chinchiolo said.

Then, those eggs can be delivered directly to customers.

"There's something just, I think, special about having a direct connection with the farmer," he shared.

So not only do the farmers get extra help in the orchard, they get a delicious product too.

"I thought, 'Gosh, you know, to buy traditional eggs just was not in alignment with what I wanted,'" Chinchiolo explained. "A business recommendation is to scratch my own itch first, and that's what I'm doing. My wife and I, we enjoy these on a regular basis, and yeah, it's a really cool deal."

Chinchiolo Farms is planning on expanding "Blooms Orchard Laid Eggs" to reach more customers.

In the meantime, they'll keep delivering fresh eggs every Wednesday right to people's front doorsteps.

• San Joaquin County