Q: What does Pasture-Raised mean?
We raise our chickens in the sunshine and fresh air. This is in stark contrast to conventionally raised chicken kept in crowded conditions with tens of thousands of birds in one industrial building. Terms like “cage-free” or “free-range” can be misleading, and can mean that the birds are still kept inside buildings their entire lives, never to see the light of the sun or peck and scratch for bugs and natural grasses to eat. Most chicken sold in supermarkets comes from animals that never touched the dirt or ventured outside, including those with “cage-free” or “organic” on the label.
Pasture-raised means healthier, cleaner meat and eggs with a superior vitamin content. We move our chickens coops daily to clean ground, which encourages the natural behavior of the chickens to forage and move about and creates a cleaner environment. Foraging grasses and insects also increases the flavor and nutritional content of the meat.
Q: Is organic chicken healthier?
It depends. We do not currently feed an all-organic diet, but we believe that the way we are raising and producing our chickens and eggs is far superior to commercially raised organic standards. The word “organic” on the label says nothing about spacing or the treatment of the animal and only refers to the feed given to the animal. Raising our chickens on pasture is the best way to get the highest quality and most vitamin-rich product.
Also of concern to us is the additive commonly used in “non GMO” feed, fishmeal. A recent study show that fishmeal in chicken feed can result in concerning levels “forever chemicals”(PFAS) in blood tests in children.( PFAS are commonly known by the brand Teflon, and non-stick pan coatings contain this chemical.) Many of us have thrown out cookware with this substance, but would be consuming PFAS unaware if we had eggs tainted with the chemical.
“Our investigations clearly indicate that the unwanted substance has been transferred to the eggs via fishmeal in the chicken feed. Therefore, a replacement with a non-contaminated feed ingredient could within a few weeks significantly reduce the content of PFAS in the eggs”
Given this concerning data, we have chosen to avoid all animal feeds, including many organic and non-gmo feeds, that contain fishmeal.
Q: Do I have to buy a lot of your farm-fresh chicken at once or can I make a small order?
You can buy as little or as much of our products as you like! There is no minimum order. We have a variety of package sizes for pre-cut chicken, starting at one pound.
Q: Do brown eggs taste different?
Nope! We sell our eggs in many colors but they all taste the same, delicious and fresh! The color of the egg is only based on the genetics of the chicken laying the egg. Brown eggs are often sold as something special but the difference in egg taste will be based on what the chicken eats and if they have regular access to sunlight. Our chickens are free to roam during the day and eat bugs and greens they find, this is why the eggs have a more flavorful taste. We also don’t give our chickens feed with seeds that artificially raise omega 3’s like flaxseed (this creates an unpleasant fishy taste). Our chickens eat a high-quality feed along with the bugs and plants they find while roaming around, that might sound weird but the more bugs they eat the higher the omega-3 content in the egg.
Q: How do I get my order?
We can arrange a delivery, farm pick up, or you can pick up your order at one of our farmer’s market days. Check here to see where we’ll be.
Q: Is pasture-raised chicken washed in chlorine?
Most chicken processed in large facilities are washed and submerged in chlorinated water where everything clean or not so clean gets mixed together. We would never used chemically treated water because we work in small batches, keeping the meat and surfaces very clean as we work. While we certainly wash our equipment with a bleach solution, the chicken does not soak in chlorine bleach water, yuck!
We also air-chill our chicken at 33-35 degrees after being cooled to a safe temperature in fresh, heavily iced water. This allows for a more flavorful meat due to slight moisture loss and increased tenderness. No water-soaked spongy meat! We also do not inject the meat or add anything whatsoever into the package (unlike industry standards which allow solutions of salt, preservatives and thickeners like carrageenan.) This also means our chicken does not shrink much when you cook it!