FAQ
Q: What breed of chicken does Pasturebird raise?
A: Pasturebird raises Ross and Cobb varieties of Cornish Cross. After extensive testing with multiple breeds ranging from slow growth to heritage, Pasturebird found the best results in both taste and texture with Cornish raised on true pasture.
Q: How are Pasturebird’s chickens pasture-raised?
A: Pasturebird chickens are truly raised on pasture, not just given access. They use floorless, mobile coops rotated daily so the birds spend 24/7 on pasture where they can hunt, forage, peck and scratch for grasses, seeds, bugs, worms, flowers, weeds, and grains. By rotating the chickens to fresh pasture every single day, Pasturebird chicken is not only healthy and delicious but also goes beyond sustainability to rebuild healthy, regenerative soils and grasslands.
Q: What does “Always Outside” mean?
A: This means that Pasturebird chickens don’t just have ambiguous “access to the outdoors”, but actually live outside on pasture 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Pasturebird uses an innovative, mobile range coop — a floorless structure on wheels that ensures birds have fresh pasture to forage daily and keeps them protected from outside predators and the elements.
Q: What do Pasturebird chickens eat?
A: Pasturebird chickens eat bugs, worms, grasses, seeds, and a supplementary grain feed. Poultry have a special organ called a gizzard that sprouts and stone grinds grains to make it nutritionally available to their system. Thus, grains are a biologically appropriate food for poultry species.
Q: What are some of the grasses on the pasture?
A: Some of the grasses found on pasture include Rye, Fescue, Bermuda, Red Clover, White Clover, Bluegrass, Dandelion, Purslane, Goosefoot, Knotweed, Puncture Vine, Thistle, Mustard, Cheeseweed, Crabgrass, Bindweed, and Plantain.
Q: What is in the chicken supplemental feed?
A: For the supplemental grain, we use a locally milled grain mixture, usually consisting of corn, soybeans, peas, wheat, sorghum, millet, and other staple crops. This feed is what gets our birds to market weight as a “broiler” or meat chicken.
Q: Can those who follow the Paleo diet eat Pasturebird chicken?
A: Yes! In fact, Farmer Paul follows the Paleo diet himself. Early on, Pasturebird actually tried pretty extensively to remove all grains from the chickens diet, but they learned that grains are biologically appropriate food for poultry species. In the same way that people can’t eat grass, but can eat grass-fed beef, Paleo dieters can also eat chicken that had grains (ones that may give your body trouble). This is all due to the special and unique organ within the chicken called a gizzard. This organ intercepts grains, sprouts and stone grinds them prior to digestion.
Q: Do Pasturebird chickens receive antibiotics?
A: Nope! Pasturebird like to say “Bugs Not Drugs” — they don’t use antibiotics to fight disease within the flock because they stay healthy through an environment of pasture, sunshine, fresh air and space. This naturally prevents sickness and provides animals with a functioning immune system.
Q: How do Pasturebird chickens stay protected on pasture?
A: Wild chickens naturally spend most of their daytime near food and water, and under cover. Pasturebird replicates that with a floorless, mobile coop that gives them protection from predators and the elements, but also allows them 24/7 life on pasture as soon as they’re old enough.
Q: Does Pasturebird chicken look and cook differently than your grocery store chicken?
A: Because birds were raised on fresh pasture, you may notice a slightly more reddish hue to the meat. Pasture-raised chicken tends to cook faster, so we highly recommend using a meat thermometer as you get acquainted with preparing it. One of Pasturebird’s favorite preparations for their chicken is a simple saltwater brine – just cover the chicken (frozen is fine) with good water, add a half cup of good salt, and cook in your preferred method. This brine really helps to bring out the flavor and keep the bird moist.
Q: Is Pasturebird chicken glycosphate free?
A: Yes
