Starting the Pastured Poultry Journey!

When we started this pastured poultry journey, we only had 11 customers and just 19 turkeys. I had previously raised turkeys for our own consumption, but this was the first time that we were putting ourselves out there to provide others with their Thanksgiving birds. The pressure was pretty high - especially early on. I was well aware of how finicky turkeys can be, and how easily they can just drop dead. Not to mention, everything eats poultry.

As we started this journey, we knew that we wanted to have at least three core convictions as we raised these animals.

First, we wanted to ensure that the turkeys were treated with dignity. Our belief is that God created these animals and because of this, they are worthy of a certain level of dignity. We had to treat them with the highest level of care - providing the best feed we could find, making sure that they always had access to clean, fresh water, and that they were given the best life they could possibly have on our farm. Additionally, we wanted to make sure that as we slaughtered these birds, they were not subjected to inhumane practices.

Second, we wanted to go beyond an organic standard in how we raised the turkeys. The only feed that they ever received was organic, corn-free, soy-free feed from New Country Organics. We never treated our birds with vaccines, medications, hormones or anything like that. We provided them with access to pasture that has not been sprayed or treated with any sort of chemical fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides since we have owned the property (2013). And we provided the birds fresh ground, rotating them across pastures each week. They were provided with 20 times more space than the organic standard calls for. These were truly pasture roaming birds!

Third, we wanted to be transparent, which is why we tried to document as much of the process as we could on our YouTube Channel! But transparency goes beyond just showing videos. We are happy to answer questions, talk with our customers, and even invite them out to see their turkeys and how they are being raised.

All of this is driven to help us fulfill our vision of seeing people becoming better connected to their food and informed to make choices that positively impact their health so that they can better serve their families, communities, and world.

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