FAQs - Why We Brood Chicks

Why do you Brood Chicks? 

We enjoy it. We watch over the chicks, ensuring to protect them from Predators like rodents and mites, and from other dangerous events such as Brooder Fires (caused by improper use of heaters/heat lamps), illness such as Pasty Butt or Dehydration, other health conditions such as Splayed Leg or Impacted Crop, and generally to attempt to get them started with a healthy organic life. 

How Many Chicks do you Raise per Year?

Actually, not very many compared to most poultry farms that raise hundreds. We typically raise no more than 25 in a batch and we start about three to four batches per year. At most, we brood 100 broiler and layer chicks per year. Some of them we keep but most of them are sold. 

Why Organic? 

We have found that Organic Raised Layers and Broilers produce the best tasting Eggs and Meat! We can tell the difference in the flavor of the eggs, and so can others who eat our Hens' Eggs.  Also, the Meat is very tender with very little fat. But, our Broilers are also Pastured for four weeks, which many Organic Broiler Farms don't bother to do.  But, it's not just the organic feed. Our chickens also spend most of their days outside in the "elements" in a safe way, which provides them with plenty of other healthy treats and nutrition.  (Updated 2/12/23) Due to inflation on feed and brooding supply prices, we no longer raise all our chicks on Organic Feed.  Since many people really don't care whether the chicks were raised on organic feed, we have switched to a quality Start and Grow product. However, if families that pre-order their chicks want us to start their chicks on organic feed, we will use PayBack Organic Hatch to Hen and ask the family to pay for the feed in advance with the deposit. 

What do you do with your Older Layer Hens?

After two years, we sell our Organic raised Layer Hens on classified poultry forums. The hens are still laying regularly when we sell them and will continue to produce well for at least another few years. 

Why don't you Raise Specialty Chickens? 

Aside from the fact that many specialty chickens usually don't produce very many eggs each year, we have found that they tend not to be as hearty in the region that we live in.  Our chickens have to endure some extreme weather conditions, strong winds, weeks of snow and freezing rain, hot summers, and frequent thunderstorms. 

Chicks Drinking and Peeping