Why Is Pasture Raised Better? - Get Real Chicken

Pasture raised is a better method of farming for everything involved. The land. The birds. The people.

Real pasture raised poultry lives the majority of their lives on fresh vegetative pastures and are housed in mobile shelters while on pasture. At night, the birds sleep inside to protect them from predators, and the flock is moved to new pastures frequently.

Connects you to the local farmer behind your foodImparts a deeper flavor and firmer texture to the meatReduces the need for antibiotics and medicationsTurns manure into an asset that builds fields, soils and wildlife ecologyBuilds a relationship with a farm in your communityHarnesses the good things about natureOffers the highest animal welfareEmpowers local and rural economies

“You, as a food buyer, have the distinct privilege of proactively participating in shaping the world your children will inherit.”

— Joel Salatin

Let’s get real: How to identify poultry posers

As the integrity food movement has gained momentum, the gap between commodity and craft poultry has become a confusing marketplace of labels.

Pastured poultry require two things: pasture (that's grass, legumes, and vegetation that’s grown in soil) and frequent movement (rotation) to fresh pasture. Birds live outside as appropriate for the age of birds and the season of the year. There are many “pastured poultry” posers, and with a bit of guidance, you can learn how to spot them.

Organic	Cage Free	Free Range	Certified Humane	Pasture Raised
Lives on Pasture	No	No	No	No	Yes
Moves to Clean Pasture	No	No	No	No	Yes
"Access" to Outdoors	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Seasonally Raised	No	No	No	No	Varies by Geography
Primary Diet	Balanced Feed	Balanced Feed	Balanced Feed	Balanced Feed	Balanced Feed
Diet from Supplemental Forage	None	None	None	Limited	Seeds, grass, legumes, insects, worms

Pasture Raised

Lives on Pasture

Yes

Moves to Clean Pasture

Yes

"Access" to Outdoors

Yes

Seasonally Raised

Varies by Geography

Primary Diet

Balanced Feed

Diet from Supplemental Forage

Seeds, grass, legumes, insects, worms Certified Humane

Lives on Pasture

No

Moves to Clean Pasture

No

"Access" to Outdoors

Yes

Seasonally Raised

No

Primary Diet

Balanced Feed

Diet from Supplemental Forage

No Free Range

Lives on Pasture

No

Moves to Clean Pasture

No

"Access" to Outdoors

No

Seasonally Raised

No

Primary Diet

Balanced Feed

Diet from Supplemental Forage

No Cage Free

Lives on Pasture

No

Moves to Clean Pasture

No

"Access" to Outdoors

Yes

Seasonally Raised

No

Primary Diet

Balanced Feed

Diet from Supplemental Forage

No Organic

Lives on Pasture

No

Moves to Clean Pasture

No

"Access" to Outdoors

Yes

Seasonally Raised

No

Primary Diet

Balanced Feed

Diet from Supplemental Forage

Limited

The Consumer’s Guide to Pastured Poultry: The Essential Questions to Ask

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Do the birds live on pasture?

Expectation: You’re looking for an answer that demonstrates the flock is raised outside on pasture for a significant portion of its life. Typically, that’s greater that 50% of its life, and the flock is moved to fresh pasture often. The farmer will have a movable pasture shelter that provides protection from weather and predators.

Beware: Pastured poultry is often seasonal, so if you live in a cold weather climate, be wary of buying fresh chicken meat at market in the cold months. This could indicate non-local or non-pastured product. Beware of labels that claim the flock has “access to pasture.” The “access to pasture” claim is used by large companies who are raising thousands or tens of thousands of chickens in a permanent barn with doors that provide “access to pasture.” In this setup, the birds tend to stay in the barn. When the birds do leave the barn in any significant numbers, the pasture tends to be overgrazed, degraded, and not utilized efficiently by the birds; this compromises the health of the bird, the health of the soil, and the nutritional advantage of pasture raised.

Understand: In winter in cold climates, the laying flock will come inside to be closer to the barn for comfort of the hens and farmer. Pastured poultry farmers transfer all their farming practices (minus the frequent moves) to winter housing and still maintain high animal welfare, light densities, and high-quality feed. Poultry produced for meat is seasonally raised and not raised on pasture during cold weather months.

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When buying pastured poultry, ask, "How often do you move your birds?"

Expect: First and foremost, you’re looking for the farmer to acknowledge moving the birds in a planned way. Meat birds are often moved daily. Layers, turkeys, and other poultry are commonly rotated on a 3, 5, or 7-day cycle. The actual frequency is best judged by the farmer in response to stocking density, pasture quality, and observed impact on the soil.

Beware: A selling price that is significantly below the typical pastured poultry price for your community is a signal that the poultry may not be pasture raised even though it’s marketed as such. Watch out for “pastured poultry” claims from farms that do not rotate their birds through the fresh pasture; the taste, the nutrition, animal welfare, and environmental benefits of pastured poultry require intentional flock movement from birds that spend all day, every day living on pasture.

Understand: Regardless of species, the constant movement brings the pastured poultry model to life. It enables the farmer to raise healthy birds without antibiotics; it increases the amount of green forage and small animal proteins the birds consume, which contributes to the health, taste, and nutrition of the final product. Movement improves the soil health and prevents denuded and diseased pastures, which are often visible from continuous grazing, especially in systems that only provide access to the same pasture every day. Pastured poultry regenerates pasture and builds soil.

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When buying pasture raised, ask, "What type of feed do you use?"

Expect: Chickens are not vegetarians. They are omnivores, and they require prepared feed in addition to the supplemental forage of greens, insects, and small animals found in the grass. You want to ensure the chickens are eating a nutritionally balanced ration, which in turn contributes to the health of the poultry and helps ensure a pleasant eating experience.

Beware: Use caution when buying from a farmer who claims the chickens or turkeys forage for 100% of their diet from pasture. You will likely be disappointed with the quality of the meat, and the bird was not raised in a humane way. It is difficult for even a very small flock of a few dozen birds to adequately forage for all its food. If a farmer claims not to use any prepared feed ingredients (corn, soy, wheat, oats, etc), you need to find out what else the farm is using for feed. Some farms are experimenting with feeding egg laying hens from composted materials (vegetable and food waste) and insect proteins, but this is an experimental model that hasn’t been adopted at any significant scale.

Understand: Common feed ingredients include corn, soybean, fishmeal, alfalfa, wheat; An overwhelming majority of pastured poultry farmers feed a certified organic ration or a non-gmo (not certified organic) ration.  You can also find farmers who avoid common ingredients, such as soy or corn, if needed. Understand that if you seek chickens with specialty diets, those birds have a higher cost to produce than the typical corn and soy feed rations.

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When buying pasture raised chicken, turkeys, or eggs, ask, "Can I see pictures of your birds?"

Expect: You want to see birds on pasture in movable houses with vegetated pastures. If viewing pictures of the pasture rotation, expect to see evidence of grazing impact; however, the pasture should still be covered in vegetation.

Beware: Dirt, while sometimes present, is not synonymous with pastured poultry. Avoid dirt lot poultry. Many of the large companies who only provide “access to pasture” will have an area devoid of vegetation in the immediate proximity of the barn because the pasture is over impacted. Dirt lot poultry is unhealthy for the birds and the pasture. There is a marketing hack often used by companies who are cheating the pastured model. On a sunny day, they grab a couple dozen chickens and put them into a green pasture with grass that’s all the same height (because it’s never been grazed). In the product marketing photos, you see a few birds, often close up. You never see the large confinement barn or if you do see the house, it’s not in focus.

Understand: Pastured poultry farmers love to show off their birds on pasture. Housing models incorporate varying degrees of function, style, and pragmatism. However, a fundamental feature is portability.

Real Pastured Poultry Video Series

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Stay informed about buying, eating, and cooking pastured poultry.