How our meat chickens are raised
We raise and process Cornish cross meat chickens in small batches during the summer months. From the time the chicks arrive at one day old, we take great care to closely monitor and provide for their needs to ensure they live the best life they can. Even though the Cornish cross is bred to grow rapidly and provide meat efficiently, we do not consider their lives less important than the other animals in our care or take shortcuts in raising them in the healthiest way possible.
They arrive as day-old chicks and spend approximately 3 weeks in a special brooder room where they stay warm and dry as they begin feathering out. After 3 weeks of age, they can then move outside into our specially designed moveable chicken tractors. Chris designed and built our tractors so that one person can easily move them. Each tractor comfortably houses 17 meat chickens or 10 layer pullets. The chicken tractor is moved daily onto fresh grass, which allows the birds to scratch and peck for any seeds or bugs they may find, as well as leaving behind the manure which fertilizes the grass.
Feed: during the brooder stage (day old-3 weeks), the chicks eat a non-GMO chick starter feed designed for meat chicks. When they move outside to the chicken tractors, we offer them a 20% non-GMO broiler grower ration, and offer them special treats such as leftover produce from the garden, mealworms, grasshoppers, and any other fun things they may find on their own while scratching through the grass.
Processing is done on the farm. We have undergone special training in poultry processing and safe food handling techniques. Exempt P.L. 90-492.
To reserve your whole chickens, a $10 per bird deposit is required. The deposit amount will be deducted from the final cost of the bird(s) at pick-up time. The price is $5.50 per pound. The average finished weight is approximately 4.5 to 6 pounds per bird.
