Why do you only have fresh chicken available during summer?
There are two main reasons.
First, as regenerative farmers, we look to follow the cycles of nature. Since wild birds hibernate in winter and lay their offspring in Spring our farm also hatches our first batch of chicken after the first day of the Spring season. Wildlife know instinctively, young offspring cannot be left alone while they forage for their food during the autumn and winter freezing temperatures.
Secondly, our farm does not use artificial lighting to stimulate growth of the broilers. Our growing season begins after the Spring solar equinox and ends with the autumn equinox. Outside of this time period, the daylight hours are not sufficient enough to signal to the hormones of the pituitary gland it is time for the body to grow. After this time, birds only consume the amount of food necessary to keep their bodies warm. Thereby, as an educated consumer, you now know that refrigerated chicken at the grocery stores outside of these cycles could not have been raised in a true healthy cycle of life for humanely raised chicken. If you wish to have the healthiest chicken to the benefit of our health year round, a stand-alone freezer might be a worthwhile investment.
Why are your eggs some of the best tasting ones?
Our first priority is always the health of the soil and the biodiversity of its environment. When our hens are consistently moved to new pastures every day of the week, it allows the grassland to flourish. The fertility they leave behind as manure is allowed a plentiful amount of time to be digested by the microorganisms above and below the soil. This stimulates the biodiversity of grass, chlorophyll, vitamins, insects all while producing the world's best grass fed chicken egg as a by-product. The consistent movement and nutrient density of the pasture translates to a nutrient dense egg for consumption. There is scientific proof that hens raised in this method pack 2 to 3 times more vitamins per egg versus confined housing hens. Therefore your tastebuds and stomach are telling you the truth, the delicious flavor is your body's satisfaction and approval of the healthy food being ingested. This also means if you are accustomed to cooking 6 eggs for your family 4 would be sufficient of ours. Best tasting and best value combination we are happy to provide. Healthy soil, healthy grass, healthy hens, healthy eggs, healthy you.
Нашите яйца не съдържат добавки или оцветители и следователно цветът на жълтъка може да варира поради естествената вариация на органичните елементи в храната. Не използваме оцветител E161g за жълтъците във фуража!
Why is the fat of your pasture raised meat yellow?
This is the defining characteristic of an animal who was consistently pastured up to the day of their harvesting. Some counterfeits on the market go as far as to paint the skin of their carcass chicken to look yellow. Yes, when harvesting, there is a thin yellow membrane on the skin of the chicken, but this does not stay on the chicken throughout the entire butchering process. The tried and true method of inspecting if the chicken meat was truly consistently moved to new pasture, is when you boil the carcass for soup or chicken broth. The chicken fat and oil will rise to the top of the water and will never harden at room temperature. If the fat does not harden, but remains a jelly-like consistency at room temperature, you can rest assured it is healthy for consumption and is beneficial to the health of your body and wellbeing.
How should I cook a pasture raised animal?
Since we are mimicking the lifestyle of a wild animal which is moving, mobbing and mowing the landscape. The chicken will have zero grams of unhealthy fats and 100 % healthy fats. However, lean meat and fats are best prepared in a manner which preserves the moisture content of the meat. Covered dishes cooked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time will yield the best results. Slow and low that is the tempo!
What is the most hygienic method to dethaw the frozen products?
The safest way to bring the meat to a working temperature is to move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before. The next best option is to place the entire vacuum sealed package in a pot of cold water from the kitchen faucet, ensuring the entire product is covered with water. This method will safely and evenly dethaw an entire large chicken within 2 to 4 hours.
Do you let the chicken out of their house to free range like my Grandma?
We are a licensed chicken farm, by law we are required to keep broilers in confined housing. There is a good reason behind this, when many young, vulnerable and delicious chickens are in one place, they quickly become a target of predators. Most likely, Grandma had some egg laying hens around the meat chickens. This mothering hen teaches the young broilers about predators, when to forage and when to run for cover.
Do your broilers also lay eggs?
There are over two-hundred different varieties of chicken. Some have been line bred for egg production, others for their beautiful unique characteristics and feathers, while the broilers have been line bred over the last 50 years for the specific purpose of gaining weight as quickly as biologically possible. While every fowl does consistently lay eggs at some point during the growing season, ranging from 10 - 330 eggs per year, it is not until the chicken reaches nearly six months of age before the male rooster (cockerel) begins to crow and his sister (hen) begins to lay eggs.
What kind of hen do you use for egg production?
We use a dual breed, Lohmann Brown, which also makes for a delicious stewing hen full of yellow (pastured) fat. This is our personal favorite after being smoked in our handmade international competition smoker.
How many days does it take before the broiler reaches harvest weight for its meat and organs?
Our broilers are not raised to a specific day but rather a specific weight which averages between 55 - 70 days. You, the client, determine what size you prefer to cook and we raise the chicken to meet your desired weight. Most clients prefer a larger carcass ranging from 2.0 - 2.5 as the meat to bone ratio is 30% more meat than the smaller carcasses.
Why do you move their floorless field house every day?
Our highest priority as regenerative farmers is to care for all of the life below the surface of the soil. Once we begin to care for microbiota within the soil the dividends are paid exponentially. The chicken manure load is carefully managed throughout the entire lifecycle. While on grass, if left for more than one day, the manure load for the soil could become more than the soil can digest within a six month period. No matter how healthy an organic fertilizer may be, there is an equilibrium of which the fertilizers' beneficial impact to the ecosystem has peaked and when it could become toxic to the soil and groundwater systems. This is why the farmer management method is the key element to the farm, to manage this process.
During their last 10 to 15 days of their life on grass, they are moved twice per day. As they are reaching their full maturity, they are consuming significantly more feed and laying down a proportional amount of manure as a result. If we did not move the field houses consistently, missing even one day, the grass would immediately show signs of manure overload such as burnt grass and may not recover for up to two years before the nutrients are fully digested by the life in the soil.
Do you graze the poultry on pasture to reduce the amount of forage they consume?
This is a common misconception, the broilers we raise are highly active each day from sunrise to sunset. This activity increases the industry standard rate of consumption between 20 & 30 % but the vitamins, minerals from the grass, and live protein in the form of insects and worms add undeniable flavor and health to the animal which is then transferred to us as we enjoy the meal with our loved ones.
What kind of broiler do you raise?
The only commercially available broiler available in the EU and for the majority of the world is a broiler known as Ross 309. This breed has been line bred over multiple decades to meet the demands for tender and succulent meat. Upon request, we will raise heritage breeds, but their growth period is over twice as long and there are not many clients who want to pay twice the labor and expense necessary to bring those chickens to market. If you prefer a delicious stewing hen, we have these available every 18 months when we are refreshing our egg laying flock.
Are predators a problem?
Yes, predators do pose a threat which must be carefully managed. This style of farming is not all sunshine and rainbows. Rats, snakes, foxes, mink, coyotes, homeless or unleashed dogs must be considered. This is why every other commercial chicken farmer chooses to be completely surrounded by concrete, to limit their losses to predators. However, disease, viruses or parasites have never affected our flocks.
How many chickens do you keep in one house?
This depends entirely on the square meters of the housing. If there are too many, the chickens are over stressed and as a result are more prone to disease or death. If there are too few, they spend too much time running wild and free and all of the fodder they have consumed for weight gain is expended through youthful energy. Most importantly, their shelters are moved at a minimum of once per day, giving them access to fresh forage 12 square meters of fresh grass, soil, ants, spiders, grasshoppers and other insects daily.
How do you keep them warm at night?
The number of birds per house also plays a significant role here, as the birds gather together after the sun goes down to keep each other warm. If there are too many, the birds in the middle will be piled on top of and be smothered; if there are too few, the birds on the outside of the group will be too cold. We do not use additional heating as the broilers are not moved to grass until their insulative feathers have sufficiently grown to allow them to safely maintain their body temperature during the cool mountain temperature nights.