Our poultry is raised following the famous French Label Rouge poultry farming method

Label Rouge is a farming method founded on an approved French specification that is respectful of animal welfare and protects the environment.  Les Fermiers Landais were the first to introduce the Free Range Label Rouge poultry. Les Fermiers Landais is the model that we use in our farming practices.

 "In this region, poultry breeding is both a tradition and something original. It is the development of growing corn, the main source of food for poultry, but also the exceptional forests which have favoured the emergence of a type of breeding which is the only one of its kind in the world. Such an untouched area is a gift that the breeders have managed both to profit from and to protect.
It is in this immense forest with its scents of resin, ferns and broom and its ocean breezes that the traditional Landes poultry of the Fermiers Landais develop their incomparable flavour. ." www.fermiers-landais.fr

 Learn more about Label Rouge and Les Fermiers Landais here

Our poultry have Free Run among the woodlands Our birds enjoy the freedom of the outdoors. They forage all day for woodland plants, bugs, mosses and mushrooms. They favor the ferns that grow on our property in abundance. In addition to their natural forage, we supplement their diet with a plant based grain. This grain does not contain any animal by-products or fish meal proteins.

Healthy chickens are happy chickens  We never use medications, antibiotics, steroids or growth hormones.  We don't have to.   All of our birds are well developed, have bright eyes, red combs and a full compliment of glossy feathers.

 We use a slow growing rustic strain from European origins. Our chickens are heartier and more disease resistant than the commonly used commercial breeds. They also have a strong foraging instinct.  This makes them better suited for outdoor production.

All of our day old chicks are hand delivered direct from the hatchery to minimize the stress of shipping. Most other day old chicks are sent through the US mail.

We brood our chicks in small groups of 100  We grow them for 4 weeks indoors, under natural light. Our chicks have a large brooding area that is bedded with fresh woodchips weekly.  In between flocks of chicks, we thoroughly clean and sanitize all of the brooding equpment.

Our Baby chicks receive a plant based grain, which contains no animal by-products. In addition to their regular feed, we supplement our chicks' feed with fresh greens and worms harvested from our own worm bin.

Chickens are curious creatures and discover their world by pecking.  Our baby chicks are very curious and like to peck at everything, including each other. This behavior can result in the loss of feathers, injury and even death. We provide an enviroment that is enriched with hanging bells, frayed ropes and colorful shredded paper for them to peck at. Since we started doing this, we have seen a tremendous reduction in harmful behavior towards each other

Clean and Natural Our baby chicks are raised on a clean bed of fresh wood shavings.  We freshen up their bedding weekly.  We thoroughly sanitize all brooders and equiptment between flocks of chicks.  At 4 weeks of age, our chicks are moved outside to their first woodland setting.  We use 200' of electric netting to keep out predators.  We move the netting to fresh woodlands weekly or as needed.