It’s Spring–And Time for the First Pastured Poultry of the Year
The Sun Rises on the Broiler Chickens
This batch of chickens (75, in all) arrived at the beginning of February. They spent 3 weeks in the brooder and then we moved them out to pasture in their chicken tractor, which we move every day. They’ve been out here since, eating weeds, bugs, and whatever else is available. We ran them over the area that will be our 3 sisters garden to lay down some grade-A fertilizer, and now they’re fertilizing the grapevines for us. They do really good work, as all they do all day is eat, sleep, and fertilize!
This batch was also fed conventional feed. We haven’t found a new provider of organic, soy-free food yet, so we have to make do with what’s available.
They have grown well, though. Check these guys out! We process them the first week of April (starting THIS weekend) so if you want any, let us know. Also, if you want them cut up, instead of whole, let us know early, before we get them in the freezer. You can pick them up fresh on the day of processing or frozen starting a few days after.
Call or text us at (910) 484-3720 or email us, if you prefer.
Fall Broilers
Our fall batch of broiler chickens arrived 2 weeks ago.
Peepers! (Now you know why those marshmallow things are called what they’re called!)
Cute as can be, and Grace and Faith enjoy unpacking them and loading them into the brooder as one of their favorite chores.
We pasture raise 2 or 3 batches of broilers each year for ourselves and our customers. So far, we’ve only raised the Jumbo Cornish Cross breed of broiler, and have been satisfied with the results. They grow from chick to butchering size in 8 to 10 weeks, depending on the season and the quality of their feed.
Sharing with Family and Friends
There is nothing we enjoy as much as having our friends visit us. It gives us a chance to cook and show off share the pasture-raised meats and fresh produce from our farm. And after all, we were foodies before we were ever farmers. To be totally truthful, it’s also a real benefit when our guests pitch in with the chores. What’s repetitive for us is new and exciting for them, and that can be like a breath of fresh air in the midst of our tedious daily work.
Over the Labor Day weekend, our good friends, Solomon and Kim Jagwe and their children, visited us from Washington DC. Solomon is an artist, whose photographs and graphic design are all over this website, and Kim is a teacher. We did more than our fair share of eating and we (mostly, Dana) spent a whole lot of time preaching about the benefits of pastured pork and chicken.
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