"Crazy" Ideas Catch on at Crazy K Farm

Oct. 12, 2009 - PRLog -- Hempstead, Texas – Pictures of chickens on aprons are common across the country.  But picture a chicken wearing an apron and you’ll probably get a good chuckle.  Laugh if you must but nothing protects hens better than the Hen Saver® hen apron.  The protective apron was invented by a Hempstead woman to help keep your flock safe.  It’s among a handful of products Tobi Kosanke has created with the goal of improving animals’ lives.

Kosanke, who holds a PhD in Geology, owns and operates a 35-acre working farm appropriately called Crazy K Farm (http://www.crazykfarm.com).  It is located northwest of Houston.  Crazy K Farm is home to more than 100 chickens, 25 geese, 30 ducks, four sheep, 12 goats, four horses, two donkeys, five livestock guardian dogs, two barn cats, three indoor cats, three indoor dogs, four parrots and a red golden pheasant.  Nearly all of her animals have been rescues, including the hens that inspired the Hen Saver which is her first invention.

Kosanke did not start out with the goal of becoming an inventor.  She’s a prime example of the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”  She recently found herself facing the financial burden of losing her job as an oil patch geologist, after being forced to take a three month, unpaid Family Medical Leave in order to care for her special needs daughter.  Taking care of her daughter at home and trying to cover the farm bills became almost impossible.  Food and medical care needs for 200+ mouths inspired her to market the inventions she has designed over the years for members of her own brood.

The idea for the Hen Saver came a few years ago after Kosanke had some roosters dumped on her farm.  She ended up with too many for the number of hens she had, and the roosters were beating up on her “girls.”  “People have made (hen) aprons by hand for years but they don’t work very well or last very long,” she says.  “After losing several hens to infections, and spending a small fortune to protect our flock, I started doing a lot of research and development to create one of my own.”

Kosanke then improved the design after losing several chickens to chicken hawks.  She studied the pattern and locations of the wounds created by the hawk’s talons and re-designed the apron to cover those areas as well.  Today, the aprons are triple-layered and highly puncture-resistant.  They work so well, even her roosters wear them.  “We haven’t lost a single one in nearly a year,” Kosanke says.

Unlike other one-size-fits-all aprons on the market, Hen Savers come in several different sizes to fit both bantam and standard-sized hens and roosters (as well as some turkeys and oversized chickens).  After selling the aprons to friends and acquaintances for a few months, the positive reviews encouraged Kosanke to set-up shop online (http://www.hensaver.com).  From $8.99 to $12.49, plus shipping and handling, hens and roosters can sport camo for all seasons, denim, navy, brown, khaki or black.  The aprons are also washable.

While Kosanke says she has pretty much perfected her design, she recently consulted a local professor to make one more improvement.  “We now offer aprons with Predator Eyes,” she says.  That means that anything scouting for prey from the air has a few hundred more eyes staring back at them.

Kosanke has hit the ground running with her invention.  She has already sold more than 1,000 Hen Savers.  Her goal is to move enough products to help her sustain her farm.  “I am doing this for my entire family – animals and humans,” she says.  

For more information about the Crazy K Farm and its products, or to set-up an interview with Tobi, please send an email to getnoticed@thewriteplacepr.com, or call (717) 676-8327.

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