Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
About Pastured Poultry
About Pastured Poultry
| What is Pastured Poultry? | ||
| Our chickens are raised outside in fresh air and sunshine on fresh green growing pasture. They have the protection of large hoop houses surrounded by large fenced yards that are moved regularly onto new ground. We purchase day old chicks. They are placed in a “brooder” kept at 90 degrees until they are feathered out and can handle lower temperatures. They are moved into their hoop houses/yards after about 14 days in the brooder. | ||
| A bit of history... | ||
| Long ago... in the days before there were refrigerators and freezers, most poultry was raised on pasture. Most farms raised a small backdoor or kitchen yard flock for eggs and meat. Production followed nature in that the birds hatched their young in the spring, raised them through summer into autumn and the excess was harvested and stored for winter or sold as a cash crop. Only a few young laying hens and a rooster or two were over wintered for the next year's cycle. This system was efficient enough for the birds to perpetuate. A chicken dinner was cause for celebration. | ||
| Around the turn of the last century things began to change. Steam, electric and combustion engine power came to the farm. Manpower and horsepower were replaced by machines and men moved to town. Birds began to be raised inside for year-round production, and men began to think in terms of "conquering" nature. On the farm, things got bigger and bigger. By the end of the twentieth century one man could grow not hundreds, or thousands, but tens or hundreds of thousands of confined birds with very little labor. Economies of scale allowed large fortunes to be made. Chickens made it into bologna, fast food restaurants and gas stations. | ||
| But where there were advances, there were also setbacks. Things had gotten bigger and faster, but often not better. Living conditions inside crowded chicken houses became marginal because the waste matter from so many birds was also being concentrated. Ammonia caused respiratory problems and fecal dust coated everything. All sorts of things were added to feed to try to overcome problems caused by the unnatural conditions. Whole regions in which poultry operations surrounded huge vertically integrated chicken factories began to smell. | ||
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Once beautiful byways became littered with feathers, and dangerously high levels of nutrients began to show up in streams and ground water. Farmers no longer controlled the birds they grew and lost touch with local markets. Meanwhile, consumers understandably lost track of those who grew their food, since on average, it had changed hands six times and traveled eighteen hundred miles getting to them. | ||
| Along the way, chicken became a commodity that lost not only its identity but also its quality and flavor. | ||
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What is the difference between "free ranged" and "pastured poultry”? | ||
| At Rock Creek Gardens, we do not wish to contribute to the local fox and coyote population, so our flocks are moved regularly with their housing and fenced yards to graze fresh growing pasture. The shelters protect chickens from predators, while allowing all the advantages of exercise, fresh air and green forage. Unlike "free range" our pastured birds are confined to large green pastures for protection and are regularly moved before the pasture becomes fouled with their own droppings. This naturally breaks parasitic cycles without the use of drugs or dangerous chemicals. Some commercial "free range" chickens only "have access" to pasture, but because of crowding, may actually never get outside. | ||
| What are the benefits of pastured poultry? | ||
| Natural sized groupings, constant access to fresh, green growing pasture and fresh air and sunshine reduce stress on chickens allowing them to mature naturally. No residue from pesticides, drugs or other chemicals is possible since none are needed or ever used. All this, coupled with exercise and greens in the diet, substantially increase the nutritional value of pasture poultry, particularly in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and in Vitamin A, with a significant reduction of total fat content. Best of all, these chickens have excellent texture and taste. Those who say that anything without much flavor "tastes sort of like chicken" have forgotten what real chicken is like. | ||
| What is the difference between pastured chicken and factory birds? | ||
| Please see Values vs Costs, which contrasts many of the values of pastured chickens against the costs of the mass produced factory fowl. It takes extra time, extra labor and extra feed to produce meat on pasture, but the resulting better nutrition and delicious flavor are well worth the cost. | ||
| Is Pastured Poultry "organic"? | ||
| The "organic" label is now a legal word game of government and big agri-business. USDA even allows old frozen birds to be called "fresh" so long as they haven't been frozen below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Likewise, birds raised in high stress factory houses, but fed politically correct rations, may use the "organic" moniker (upon payment of the proper fee). | ||
| We never use any growth hormones, antibiotics, drugs, colorants or "enhancers" of any kind. We use no pesticides nor chemical fertilizers. Our hens graze freely over fresh clean organic pasture to supplement their diet of natural grains and legumes. By closely mimicking nature, by paying careful attention to the source and quality of our feed and by keeping small flocks moving outside on grass, we produce chicken far superior in flavor, texture and healthfulness to birds with fancier names. | ||
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| Why is fresh pastured chicken only available seasonally? | ||
| We are blessed to have four good seasons. In the northern hemisphere the shortest days of the year occur late in December. During January, chickens raised outside react to lengthening daylight by starting up their reproductive cycles in anticipation of the season to come. By February they are laying fertile eggs which begin hatching in March, right in time for the first green grass of spring. From the living earth, grasshoppers, crickets, earthworms and myriad other organisms emerge to brighten the table of the hen and her chicks. The chickens scratch the sod and move on, leaving behind a rich natural fertilizer which is immediately taken up by growing vegetation. As springtime advances the chicks continue to grow with the earliest hatches reaching market weight just as summer arrives. In the warm months we have long days and weather amenable to harvesting and processing this natural abundance. This is the time for us to be stocking up for winter! | ||
| If we were to try to buck nature by growing birds out of season we would be faced with all manner of (unnecessary) problems. Water lines would freeze, our hands would chap and we would have to get up to tend chickens before dawn in the wind and snow. Artificial light and heat would have to be supplied and we would be forced to forgo the many natural advantages that make our birds so superior to the supermarket's factory chickens. | ||
| A bit of philosophy... | ||
| Our aim is to work with nature, not against it, to produce the healthiest and tastiest birds possible. We believe that we all profit from a close relationship with the land, with our neighbors (who are our friends and customers) and with future generations who should not be asked to clean up our mess. This runs one hundred eighty degrees counter to an industry whose only goal is to maximize profits. | ||
| How can I procure a supply of this home grown fresh pastured chicken? | ||
| At Rock Creek Gardens, the first processing begins the end of April. We have our birds processed approximately every three weeks at a USDA Federal Inspected Facility. The birds are sold at our farm. Fresh dressed chickens are available for two days after every processing date. (The poultry must be refrigerated for two days before freezing to allow for the meat to relax and tenderize.) The poultry is vacuum-packed, so will last well over a year in freezer storage without freezer burn. | ||
| Visitors are always welcome to see our operation, but appointments are suggested. Via the main menu you can get directions to the farm. | ||
| Poultry can be reserved by phone or here through our website. | ||
| Supplies are always limited for both fresh and frozen poultry. |
