Our Pasture Raised Chickens
Wow, has 2025 been a year already! We started off this year raising our broiler chickens in batches of 50 and doing all the processing ourselves to not raising batches of 150+ at a time and using a USDA inspected facility to complete the processing of our chickens. We are so excited for the new changes this means for us and our customers. Thanks to our wonderful customers we have been able to scale our production and make some changes that were out of reach at previous batch sizes.
Because of our larger batch sizes we are now able to purchase our feed from our supplier at a discounted price per lb, so in line with our values we change improve the quality of feed we purchase, from a strictly organic crumble to a new organic, soy free mash. While all organic feeds are free from pesticides, GMOs, and synthetic additives, most organic feed still relies heavily on soy, which can cause problems for both animals and people. We choose upgrade to an Organic Soy-Free feed because it is healthier for our chickens and for you. Soy is naturally high in phytoestrogens, which can affect hormone balance in chickens and in those who consume their products. It’s also a common allergen, and even organic soy often comes from large monocrop farms that deplete the soil. In our new feed we are feeding grains like peas and sunflower seeds. This feed even has additional herbs like marigolds and thyme added to it to promote better immune support for our chickens. We are so excited to be able to be able to upgrade to this feed to support better animal healthier and create a cleaner, more natural-tasting chicken for your table. Not only is it a more sustainable choice for our land, it is a more wholesome one for your family.
Our next major change to our chicken is our processing process. We have always strived to give our broilers the best life and have taken processing very seriously to ensure that they are dispatched in the most humane way possible. Lukas and I sure have improved a lot. Our first batch of chicken we raised for ourselves, it took us 8 hours to process. Today we have that cut down to 2 and thanks to the low volume processing exemption we have been able to provide you pasture raised chicken. As we are scaling up we are quickly coming to a point where we will no longer be able to operate under that exemption. We have been very blessed to find a small USDA inspected facility that serves small farmers. They have been great to work with, and I can’t wait to high light them more on a later blog to talk more about their commitment to putting people, animals, and ecosystems first. With this change it also means we can now wholesale our birds to restaurants, schools, and local grocery stores and we look forward to the day when you can see “Now Serving Flower Cow Farm Chicken” on a menu near you or being able to help provide nutritious lunches for our students!
Lastly, this change helps Lukas and I to be able to meet one of our most personal goals, helping food insecure families in Wharton County by partnering with Hesed House of Wharton to give chicken to families in need. We truly believe that food has the power to heal not only physically, but mentally and relationally as well. Growing up in Wharton County, we have seen how resilient and resourceful our community is and how helpful and giving our community member are. We are so thankful to be able to give back to the people and community that has given us so much.
If you made it this far, thanks so much for listening (reading) my rambling. We are so grateful for our wonderful customers, mentors, and friends.
