Pastured Poultry

Eggs and Meat

Pastured Tastes Better

Pastured poultry is the ultimate in flavor. Ample access to natural forage translates directly to intensely flavorful eggs and meat.

Pastured Is Healthier

Our birds are never treated with antibiotics, hormones, or any other meds. They don’t need it. Birds on the field are not biosecurity war zones like their unfortunate commercial cousins.

Pastured Packs Vitamins

Research has found pastured poultry to be more nutrient dense in both eggs and meat.

Pastured Is Happier

Raising birds on pasture makes every living thing associated with the process happier: we the managers, the birds, and the environment.

Chicken Eggs

We raise a laying flock of various heritage breeds of chicken. For the past few years this flock has been our homestead lifeline, providing us both meat and eggs. We move them about the pastures in chicken tractors which are moved to fresh graze regularly.

All those bugs and greens in their diet translate directly into a premium egg. Once you start eating them you’ll struggle to eat any other kind.

Duck Eggs

We keep a small heritage duck flock also. They are raised on pasture just like everybody else around here, plus a little extra water. Eh… I mean, a lot of extra water!

Duck eggs can’t be beat for creamy yolks. You want a richer creamier omelet? Throw a duck egg in there. Want more flavorful and moist cakes and cookies? Duck eggs are a baker’s secret. Our kids now complain when the ducks take their yearly egg laying break because their scrambled eggs aren’t quite as good!

Broilers

Highest Quality of Taste, Nutrition, and Animal Well Being

Our broilers are Cornish Crosses raised exclusively on pasture. They spend their first few days on the farm in a little brooder house to make sure they’re fluffed out and ready for the field. During this time we are their mama chickens, keeping them warm and safe and well fed. We grow and pick fresh greens for them and hand feed them daily in addition to their grain rations.

As soon as they have enough feathers to tolerate the weather they are moved to the pastures. In the field we keep them in a chicken tractor – a house open to the ground so they are safe from the elements and the predators and still accessible to all the clover and crickets they can find. We move the tractor twice daily. We keep the tractors within electric fencing so they are protected from ground predators and so they can roam around during the day at times. We protect them from aerial predators by housing them with and near experienced roosters and guardian dogs. We move the whole set-up of housing and fencing to a new paddock regularly, as soon as they need the space.

Our meat birds have ready access to chicken feed along with as many worms and bugs and greens they can hunt down. They are allowed to walk and run and jump and scratch and peck and feel the warmth of sunshine and the refreshment of a breeze. Because of the exercise our birds take a few extra weeks to grow out to optimal dress weight. It’s worth it to us because we value the lives and fulfillment of our birds. We also think the extra time makes for more flavor in the meat.