Do You Remember Cackling Acres
Cackling Acres: Eggs, Enterprise, and the Realities of Farm Life in Granger
Before subdivisions and shopping centers reshaped the west side of the valley, Granger was farmland — and one of its most memorable agricultural operations was Cackling Acres.
Located near the old American Express Building & near the Old Ream’s Food Stores Cackling Acres was a large-scale chicken farm that became both a source of pride — and strong opinions — for the community.
A Major Egg Producer
Cackling Acres wasn’t a small backyard coop. It was a serious poultry operation producing thousands of eggs daily. Their fresh eggs were sold throughout Utah and distributed widely through grocery stores, supermarkets, and dedicated “milk depot” outlets, including:
5402 South Redwood Road
4038 South 2700 East
Families across the Salt Lake Valley recognized the name and trusted the quality. Many longtime residents still remember Cackling Acres eggs as some of the freshest and best in the state.
The Other Side of Farm Life
But with upwards of 30,000 hens…. came the realities of agriculture.
Some Granger residents remember something else just as vividly — the smell. On certain days, especially in the summer heat, the scent of the coops carried across the fields. Others recall the large rats that thrived around the grain supply and barns — a common but unwelcome part of farm operations of that scale.
It wasn’t glamorous. It was working farmland.
And that contrast — high-quality eggs and the gritty realities of rural life — is part of what makes the story authentic.
A Landmark of a Different Era
Cackling Acres represents a time when Granger was still agricultural at its core. Before West Valley City was incorporated, before commercial corridors lined 4700 South, this land produced food for Utah families.
Some remember it fondly for its eggs.
Some remember holding their noses as they drove by.
All remember it.
Today, the farm is gone, but its story helps us understand what Granger once was — a hardworking farming community that fed the valley long before it became suburban.
1965: The Cackling Acres coop fire: That is the year the devastating blaze destroyed the 75-by-240-foot chicken coop in Granger and resulted in the loss of approximately 10,000 hens, with an estimated $340,000 in damages reported at the time. The estimated $340,000 loss in 1965 would equal more than $3 million today, making the fire one of the most significant agricultural losses in Granger’s history.
