Pasture Raised Organic Chickens
We are pleased to announce that we are now one of a handful of farms in the state of Washington licensed to offer pasture raised chickens for sale. Pasture raised chickens are the only chickens required to be on pasture for the majority of their lives. In addition to be licensed as pasture raised, our chickens are certified organic, providing the best possible chicken available.
We began raising our own chicken two years ago and have not purchased a factory farmed chicken since. His whole life Mark has been allergic to chicken and turkey. Years ago, he had allergy testing done and he was highly allergic to poultry. We decided to try raising our own. Mark has never had a single allergic reaction to our chicken or turkey. We haven’t tested our birds to understand what is different, but it just makes sense to us that by raising birds naturally with full access to sunshine, fresh air and grass will produce healthier meat.
UPDATE: We are completely
sold out of broilers for the season. We still have a small
number of stewing hens available. If you would like to place
an order for stewing hens, click here:
Order Stewing Hens
Chicken FAQs
How many chickens should
I order?
We like to encourage people to think in terms of how much they
will eat in a month, rather than what they will eat that evening.
We are a family of five and like to eat chicken once or twice
a week. For us, 10
chickens a month would provide all that we need for dinners, soups
and leftovers for lunches.
A typical monthly chicken menu for us would include: honey
glazed chicken, rosemary roasted chicken, teriyaki chicken, BBQ
chicken pieces, chicken nuggets, chicken noodle soup, and chicken
stock for other soups.
In the fall, it is important to think of stocking the freezer for
what you will need through the winter.
Is pasture raised
organic chicken different from large-scale organic chicken?
Yes! Chickens can be
certified organic just by being given certified organic grains.
We believe it is just as important that chickens spend a
significant part of their time outside in the sunshine on grass
converting sunshine into Vitamin D and trace minerals that have
completely vanished from modern meats due to confinement.
What breed of chicken
are you raising?
When you buy chicken at the grocery store, you have one choice of
chicken called the Cornish Cross.
These birds are bred to grow fast and large.
So fast, in fact, that left to continue to grow they will die
of heart attacks and broken legs.
They cannot breed or sustain life on their own.
They are meant to grow for 6 weeks and be butchered.
They can be grown on pasture and are much better tasting than
those grown in confinement.
Here on Misty Meadows Farm, we are experimenting with
heritage breeds, those that live a more normal chicken life.
In particular, we are raising some of the Poulet Nu breeds,
popular in France for their exceptional flavor.
After you’ve had a chance to try them, let us know what you
think.
Why is your chicken so
expensive?
We have no delusions that we will make millions off of selling
chickens. On the other
hand, we do not have the means or desire to supplement other
people’s food budgets.
This is the price we have determined we can live with to make the
meat we love so much available to you.
Can I order just chicken
breasts?
The simple answer is that we are not licensed to sell anything
other than a whole chicken.
The larger answer is that we all need to remember that live
chickens consist of more parts than just the boneless, skinless
breast. The meat from
the rest of the chicken is amazingly flavorful and healthy when it
is raised on pasture.
My recipe calls for 16 chicken thighs.
Wouldn’t I be better off buying the meat in
pieces?
I have found that the honey glaze for chicken thighs is just as
tasty on the other pieces of meat.
Ideally, we would love to be able to sell individual pieces
of chicken and in the future may be able to do so.
Does pasture raised
organic chicken cook differently from factory farmed chicken?
It does. Pasture
raised meats are more flavorful on their own, needing a more
delicate hand with spices.
(Sometimes, I will cook a whole bird without adding a single
thing to it and have gotten rave reviews.)
Since it is lower in fat, pasture raised chicken also tastes
better cooked longer on a lower temperature.
How do you treat your chickens?
Our chickens have continuous, year round access to fresh grass and sunshine. They have homes to keep them warm and dry, but they spend most of their time outside. We rotate their pasture over several acres so that there is always enough grass to keep them happily scratching away.
We feed our chickens as much feed as they would like. Our chicken feed is a custom blend of certified organic, locally milled grains. It looks and smells like the beginning of good bread.
We use only the highest organic practices. We do not debeak our birds, confine them, starve them, force them to molt, and never feed our birds unnecessary medicine.
If you live in the Whatcom County area, we welcome you to come visit our farm and see for yourself. Anyone can put a picture of a chicken on grass on an egg carton, but how many of those chickens get to see the light of day and live the way they were created to live?
For more information, email us at Misty Meadows Farm.