Red Barn Free Range Chicken

Herman’s pictures - click to enlarge

Free-Range, Pasture Fed, organic and humanely grown, grain fed.. Are just some of the terms used so I’m not surprised that you are confused! What is best for you? Organic is obviously best - but hugely expensive due to stringent regulations and in South Africa a lack of organic grain supplies Free Range often means they live in a chicken house, are on the floor and not in cages and are allow to go outside or into the sunshine for a little each day. Pasture Fed means they are free to feed naturally and roam on pasture. Grain fed can mean anything! They eat grain which can be natural or in a pre-made feed, so it means nothing really but it sounds healthy*@#*! Our chickens are not organic (yet) but they are free to roam on pasture and they definitely eat whole grains! At least you KNOW what you are eating! Our free range chicken farm is always open for visitors to see exactly how we raise our animals. Why our Chickens TASTE so DAMN GOOD! (Our Pork too..) Its pretty simple, really. They are allowed to live FREELY and to grow up naturally as chickens should do. Our chickens have constant access to a natural diet and enjoy plenty of fresh air and sunshine. We do not use artificial growth stimulants; do not feed meat or bone meal; and do not use antibiotics, (although for humane reasons we reserve the right to medicate sick animals if required) We raise our birds outside on pasture where they can scratch in the soil, eat green plants and whatever bugs they find. We move the birds to clean fields on a regular basis. This has the added advantage of spreading the poultry litter around which is important to the management of our fields. Raising chickens in this way takes a little longer. Our birds reach marketable weights in 8-12 weeks as opposed to 6 weeks which is the industry standard. This longer growing period is a key factor in growing a tasty LARGE chicken. Our chickens mature at their natural pace. This obviously costs a little more, but in the end maybe not? Chickens reared this way have naturally MORE muscle from running around instead of sitting still in a crowded chicken cage. More muscle equals more meat and obviously LESS FAT! When you cook our birds you will see a difference, they don’t shrink down to nothing when the fat melts. My Inspiration - (yes I bought the manual on the net :-)) An amazing human being and an absolute expert on living in harmony with nature. Chicken house construction Flying chicken homes hover over George Airport! We learnt a lot from Herman in the USA, but our conditions in South Africa, are just so different! WE had to do it differently and we learnt the hard way! Our first chicken house took off like an aerofoil on a windy night. It ended up as a UFO, the pilots were CHICKEN so they abandoned ship and we sheepishly had to pick up pieces all over the neighbours farms! Our Gallery shows the re-design of the flying chicken house that made us the laughing stock! But here is a preview of our re-enforced mobile chicken homes see more here at our free range chicken gallery Really Free range Chicken

About Red Barn Free Range Farm