When some folks visit our farm store for the first time, and check out the prices for our organic and pasture raised chicken, there can be a sense of sticker shock, and understandably so! It might be difficult to justify spending more money on organic chicken at the farm, when you can buy organic chicken in a grocery store for less.
However, our chicken is not the same as the organic chicken raised for a conventional grocery store, or even a large chain natural food store, and here is why: According to the USDA Organic standards, “ All organic livestock and poultry are required to have access to the outdoors year-round. Animals may only be temporarily confined due to documented environmental or health considerations.”. The fact is, the word “outdoors“ does not necessarily mean raised on pasture, and certainly does not require, or ensure, that each animal actually goes outside.
Here at Normanton Farms, when we receive our day old chicks from the hatchery, they are immediately housed in a climate controlled brooder, with access to fresh water and certified organic grain. By 3 weeks of age, the birds have grown enough feathers to help regulate their body temperature, and at this stage we roll up the sides of the house to acclimate them slowly to the environment outside.
At 3-4 weeks of age, the chicks are relocated to 12’x24’ field pens where they have access not only to fresh water and organic feed, but also to green pastures with lots of bugs (chickens love insects), as well as plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Everyday for the next thirty or so days, my crew and I move the houses onto a fresh piece of pasture, and in return for the fresh pasture, the chickens leave behind a fertilized patch of pasture which feeds the plants, soil organisms, and bugs in the process.
The rich, varied diet and the exposure to the outdoors leads to the exquisite flavor in the meat and this is what differentiates our organic pastured chicken from the organic chicken you find at a grocery store, or large chain natural food store.
The small scale of pastured raised poultry in New England and the reality of the economies of scale, make the raising of our chickens more expensive when compared to the large scale producers. For us small scale producers, the current cost of processing and feed alone equals more than what a pound of organic boneless chicken breast would cost at a conventional or natural food grocery store.
The benefits of buying chicken from producers like us, is that you receive a superior tasting nutrient dense chicken, your food dollars stay in the New England region, you are supporting your local farmer, and therefore, you are helping to build a more resilient food system. Who can forget the food shortages that occurred during the pandemic?
