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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions
General
Our birds are not certified organic, but we firmly believe that our birds are actully better than many that are certified organic. Organic certification in Ontario requires improved living conditions than those offered by conventional poultry barns, but many operations do not give their birds access to pasture the way we do. All our feed is Non-GMO, and our pastures have been free from pesticides and fertilizer sprays for over 25+ years. Chickens are omnivores, and therefore having access to insects and bugs give them a richer diet than those restricted to a barn-based farming system.
Free-range is a broad term that can encompass a wide variety of conditions, not all of which are favorable. Many "free-range" chicken products on the market only provide the chickens with temporary access to a dirt or concrete yard. In contrast, we pasture-raise our birds. This means that once they are fully feathered (around 3 weeks old), they spend 100% of their time outdoors on fresh pasture. Our mobile chicken tractors are fully covered to protect the birds from rain, but the sides are open to allow a breeze to cool them during the hotter parts of the day.
Our chickens are processed in a provincially licensed facility according to provincial guidelines. In Ontario, chicken cannot be sold without meeting these standards. Our processor humanely processes the birds and air-chills them, as opposed to water-chilling. This method keeps the meat more sanitary and prevents it from absorbing water that may contain trace amounts of fecal matter.
This also benefits your wallet. Conventional grocery stores often sell chicken that has absorbed water during the chilling process, meaning you pay for water weight when buying by the pound. Our chicken contains no added water, so every dollar you spend goes directly toward meat. Additionally, because our chicken isn’t water-chilled, it doesn’t shrink as much when cooked—a common side effect of water-chilling methods.
We have several processing dates throughout the summer months, so in the days following those periods, we do offer fresh chicken and turkey. However, our meat lasts longer when frozen, and since we provide our products year-round (not just during the summer when the chickens are growing), freezing is the best option to preserve freshness. This way, our meat remains delicious and ready to enjoy whenever it reaches your table!
Our pasture-raised, never frozen turkeys are available the Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving weekend. This saves you time from having to thaw your bird yourself, and preserves a superiour quality and taste that frozen turkey cannot match. The turkeys are picked up from the processing plant and are brought straight to the farm to be ready for pickup, so picking your turkey up before this date is not available.
Unsold turkeys from Thanksgiving are frozen, and remain available for purchase for Christmas or Easter.
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