What makes our eggs so good?
Soy free:
Our layers eat a soy-free diet. Why does that matter? Most "supermarket eggs"
come from hens that are fed soy-based rations, typically pellets or crumbles,
but chickens aren't naturally able to digest soy. The soy-based feed is highly
processed in order to make it digestible for chickens, but that doesn't mean it's
the best food for them to eat - only that it's the cheapest way to get the required
protein level into the feed. We take a different route by feeding our birds a mixture
of whole grains, including field peas, wheat, barley, corn, and oats. These are all
foods that a chicken can eat in their raw, natural form. Interestingly, we also find
that chickens on this feed consume quite a bit less - sometimes even 30% less - when
compared with hens on "soy pellets." Of course, chickens also need green plants as well
as insects, which is why ours are also...
Pasture-raised:
Our chickens are out under the sky whenever the weather permits, on pastures that provide
about 100sqft per adult bird. We currently utilize five separate paddocks, which allows
us to rotate the birds through different areas to prevent the vegetation from breaking
down excessively. The birds are free to come and go from their housing to the pasture.
Healthier birds:
In addition to the diet and access to the outdoors, our chicken habitat is designed for
bird health: closed-top drinkers minimize water contamination, deep leaf bedding allows manure
to compost naturally, and year-round access to dust bathing gives birds the opportunity to keep
themselves parasite-free naturally.