How We Raise Our Birds
We believe that customers deserve to know how their food is raised. We also feel livestock animals should be treated humanely. Our customers are encouraged to tour our farms and learn first hand how their food is raised.
What does free-range and pastured mean? There are many stories of factory farm poultry being raised with “access to pasture.” When in reality, this may mean there is a small door at the far end of the 500 foot warehouse with three square feet of grass!
We at PPP take our growing practices seriously and literally. When we say pastured, we mean it! We have all agreed to the same standards of raising and processing our poultry. So, no matter which farm you pick up your order, you can be confident that the birds were all raised in the same way.
The day our chicks arrive, they are brooded in a safe, warm, enclosed space for one week. At one week of age, the birds have free and continuous access to pasture when the daytime temperature is above 50 degrees. They are still housed in the brooder area, but they are able to easily access pasture through a door. At four weeks of age, the birds are permanently moved to pasture. During the day they are free to roam on pasture in a fenced area (to keep predators out) and at night they are housed in mobile housing which is moved daily.
Our poultry are grown without antibiotics, medications, or growth hormones. The feed consists of grains grown in accordance with organic standards, and may be certified organic, transitional, or grown in accordance with organic standards (meaning no synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, or GMOs).
Our birds are processed with modern stainless steel equipment using Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). The birds are immediately water-cooled, packaged, and stored in the freezer until you pick them up, ensuring a fresh and safe product. However, most of food safety occurs in your kitchen. All poultry, no matter how they are raised, should always be handled properly and cooked to the safe temperature of 160 degrees F.
Studies have shown that pasture raised poultry have 20% less fat, 30% less saturated fat, 50% more vitamin A, and 100% more omega-3 fatty acids than cage-raised birds. There is a wealth of information about how pastured raised meat is so nutritious. Please learn more about the health benefits of pastured raised meat at the Eat Wild website www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
