How do we raise our chicken?
It's exciting when a new batch of chicks arrive. The chicks spend their first few weeks in the “brooder”, a section of the barn equipped with heat and light. Special feed is allowed free choice to the young birds that does not contain added antibiotics or growth hormones. This feed is mixed and ground locally to our exacting specifications. When the chicks have adequately feathered out at two to three weeks of age, they are moved out to our chemical-free pastures. “Hoop houses” are used for protection from the extremes of Texas weather. These are sturdy moveable structures can be opened at both ends that allow fresh breezes to move through. A ring of flexible electric netting surrounds these structures to keep out predators. Pie-shaped wedges of pasture are also fenced in with this netting and attached to the main enclosure to allow even more protected freedom in the outdoors. The netting is moved every few days to enclose a different wedge-shaped section of pasture with its tasty flora and fauna. After about eight weeks of “the good life” the chickens are harvested in a humane manner and processed without chemical dips to allow the country-fresh flavor to come through to you.
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What is the difference between free-range chickens and pastured chickens? There is a vast difference between chickens that are “free-range” and chickens that are “pastured”. Chickens that are allowed to roam in a dirt yard can be said to be “free range” in that they are not confined to small wire cages or the interiors of a building away from fresh air and sunlight. But having access to a small space such as that is not in the true spirit of “free range”.
“Pastured chickens”, on the other hand, spend almost their entire life spans on grassy turf, most often protected in movable bottomless pens or electric netting enclosures so that they have direct access to the forage and insects that make up their natural diet. The chickens are usually “locked up” at night for added protection from predators, but at the first light of dawn are released to begin another day in the fresh outdoors.
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