Reserve Your FARM FRESH CHICKENS Today!

BACKGROUND:

Two years ago, I took my first step into full-time ‘chickenry’ thanks to my good friend Andrew McEwing, a former farmer who’s been very generously schooling me in the process of brooding, harvesting, and processing chickens for meat.

I’ve also benefitted from and am appreciative for: RJ and Natessa Cournoyer, Joel Saladin videos on Youtube, the Polyface Design book, Vermont Technical College Meat-Cutting classes, and time spent last summer helping the local professionals at Hillside Farm run their operation.

WHAT IS A CHICKEN-SHARE?

The chicken-share is a way for me to plan my chicken sales in advance, and purchase (local ) chicken feed in bulk before it gets more expensive. Basically, you pre-order a few chickens, pay for half of the cost up front, and then either pick them up in the NEK or meet me in Montpelier or Burlington area during a pre-determined window of time (like at a farmers market, right?).

HOW DO WE DO THIS?

The first chicks for this season have arrived and we plan to raise two large batches of 100+ chickens: the first to be available in July and the second to be available in September. We’ll occasionally sell individual chickens and save some for special events; however, this year we are testing a new CSA-style model.

Full shares will include six (6) total chickens, with two distributed at the beginning of each month for three consecutive months. Half shares will include three (3) total chickens with one distributed at the beginning of each month for three consecutive months. Summer (July-Sept), Fall (October-December), and Winter (January-March) shares will all be available until the quantity of each sells out.

As of May 11, chickens will be priced at a flat rate of $5.50/lb for now…that rate is subject to change in July depending on short-term inflation.

Pick-up locations will be in the Northeast Kingdom at Parker Pie or Dirt Church Brewery or chickens delivered to a meeting area in Montpelier or Burlington.

ABOUT THE CHICKENS:

These Cornish Cross Broilers are fed local (conventional) ‘chick starter’ feed from Poulin Grains (based in Newport, Vermont) for the first two weeks inside and then move outside where they eat grass, bugs, and a combination of grain and cracked corn feed from Poulin Grains until harvest.

At roughly two weeks — or as soon as the chicks have feathers — they are moved outside into a ‘chicken tractor’ which is a mobile enclosure that is moved regularly to provide the chickens with fresh pasture area to ‘graze’ and to distribute their manure to enrich the soil for future planting.

To minimize animal stress and maximize quality of meat, the chickens never leave the farm and are humanely harvested at seven to eight weeks old. All animal waste materials are recycled into fertilizer. Finished chickens include the necks and are packaged by shrink-wrapping and then stored and delivered frozen.

These Cornish Cross Broilers are fed local (conventional) feed from Poulin Grains (based in Newport, Vermont) for the first two weeks and then from weeks six through eight, the birds will receive minimal grain and subsist primarily on grass, bugs, and non-meat food scraps. ORDER FOR JUNE HERE

As soon as the chicks have feathers, they are moved outside into a ‘chicken tractor’ which is a mobile enclosure that is moved regularly to provide the chickens with fresh pasture area and to fertilize and enrich the soil for future planting.

To minimize animal stress and maximize quality of meat, the chickens never leave the farm and are humanely harvested at approximately eight weeks old. All animal waste materials are recycled into fertilizer. Finished chickens are all over six pounds (average 6.25lbs) and include the necks and are packaged by shrink-wrapping and freezing to prevent contamination.