Pastured Chicken News!
You asked and we listened! We’re so excited to fill you in on some big news on our farm. Many customers asked for corn and soy free pastured chicken and we’re happy to announce it is coming soon to Grassfed Cattle Co this summer! We recently received great news that we are being funded by two grants for research with our pastured chickens to understand the impact of different feeds on pastured chickens. We’re excited because it will positively impact our pastured chickens, farm, other farmers and you - our customers!
We received grant funding through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Farmer Rancher (SARE) Grant and the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Program (AGRI) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant. All our chickens will still be on pasture where they are able to scratch, peck and eat bugs and plants. They will be rotated to a fresh piece of pasture each day as they have since we began raising chickens on our farm! Previously, all our chickens were supplemented with a non-GMO corn and soy based feed on pasture. What will change is half of the chickens will be fed our traditional non-GMO corn and soy based feed and half will be fed organic corn and soy free feed in the pasture. The main ingredients in the organic corn and soy free feed are peas, barley, flax meal and sorghum.
Through the grant, we received funding for an upgraded shelter for the chickens. Check out this video about the hoop house coming to our farm soon.
This was our pastured chicken system. Valerie is moving the "chicken tractor" to fresh pasture, a process we did each morning and will still do, just with the hoop house!
Each day, we’ll still do our typical chores, but will also collect data that will help us and other farmers understand how the two different feed types impact the chickens.
After processing, a portion of each batch will be sent to a food lab for nutritional testing on the meat to help us understand the nutritional differences you and I can expect from eating chickens raised with the two types of feed supplements on pasture. The lab will provide nutritional testing on:
Cholesterol
Vitamin E
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA)
ω-6 fatty acids
ω-3 fatty acids
Fat (Monounsaturated Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, Saturated Fat)
We are excited to share this understanding with you as you purchase chicken from our farm for your family! We expect the first batch of whole chickens and individual chicken cuts (bone-in chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken breasts, legs, wings, thighs, feet, etc.) to be ready for pick up or delivery at the end of June.
We are also hoping to host a customer appreciation day on the farm for you and your family! We’d love to show you around and give you the chance to see the chickens (and other animals) out on pasture. We haven’t picked a date yet and will keep you updated as we hear more about CDC COVID recommendations.
Reach out and let us know what you’d like to see and what questions you have as we keep you updated on our research and pastured chickens!
