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ORGANIC PASTURE-RAISED POULTRY
PASTURE-RAISED TURKEYS
     
We are taking orders for Thanksgiving 2007. Please give us a call or e-mail us.
Heritage Turkeys $7.00/Lb - Broad Breasted Turkeys $4.00/Lb
Pick Up Dates:
Tuesday, November 20th from 4:00PM-7:00PM
Wednesday, November 21 from 10:00AM -6:00PM
Currently we are raising two varieties of heritage breed turkeys: White Holland and Standard Bronze, and two varieties of Broad breasted turkeys: Giant White and Bronze.
Heritage Turkeys: ($7.00/Lb Limited Supply)
 The White Holland Turkey is a white-feathered variety that originated in Europe. It was developed from Mexican turkeys brought to Europe from the Americas beginning in the 1500s. Because of their wide breasts and short legs they were originally an important commercial bird in this country in the 1900's, but they have been replaced in that category by faster growing and larger varieties.
- The White Holland turkey is showy in appearance, with snow white feathers and a red to bluish head. The White Holland's advantage has been its lack of dark pinfeathers, and this trait often led to market advantage. Today White Holland turkeys are quite rare, being kept by only a few exhibition breeders.
 The Standard Bronze Turkey is one of a few rare older breeds. They have been around for more than 100 years. They are the purest of the Bronze line in terms of their heritage. They have beautiful shimmering dark charcoal plumage with green-bronze metallic highlights in the sun.
- Heritage turkeys are very unique birds, unlike the commercial turkeys, they:
- Can fly
- Can mate naturally
- Because of their diet and extended life-spans, their meat is healthier, darker, more flavorful, and have better texture. Thier robust flavor is sure to get rave reviews.
- Average weight range: 7-20Lbs. Please allow + 3 Lbs when yuo place an order.
- American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Definition of a Heritage Turkey:
Turkeys must meet all of the following criteria to qualify as a Heritage turkey:
1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%.
2. Long productive lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years.
3. Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Todays heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in 26-28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20th century.
The Broad Breasted Turkeys: ($4.00/Lb)
 Giant White and Bronze Turkeys, raised on grass offer an unique nutritional and natural alternative for your holiday meals. Raised naturally in our certified organic pastures, these large turkey breeds will provide a delicious and healthy Thanksgiving feast for your friends and family, and maybe even leave you with leftovers for sandwiches and soups.
- Average weight range: 15-30Lbs. Please allow + 5 Lbs when you place an order.
We raise our turkeys from May thru November on fresh pasture. They are also fed organic grain.
Processing is done on the farm in a clean, healthy, sanitary environment. Our customer pick-up their turkey orders at the farm, assuring them a truly farm-fresh product and revitalizing the farmer-consumer relationship.
PASTURE- RAISED EGGS
- Our laying hens are Rhode Island Reds. They lay brown eggs.
- These hens are raised on fresh pasture.
- They live in a mobile chicken house surrounded by a portable electric fence during the grazing season. They are also fed organic grain, oyster shells and kelp.
- During the late fall and winter months, they are housed on a bedded pack where they spend their time looking for insects and worms. They are fed organic hay, organic grains, organic alfalfa pellets, organic corn, oyster shells and kelp.
- Happy hens make healthy eggs. The dark orange yolk is high in omega 3, vitamin E, Beta-carotene and low in cholesterol. Very Nutritional Eggs!!
- Eggs are available year round here in our Farm.
- Crack an Organic Applecheek egg into frying pan next to a conventional egg.
See-Taste-Experience the difference!
- You can eat our delicious eggs at the Bee's Knees Restaurant located in Morrisville.
PASTURE-RAISED MEAT BIRDS
- We raised our organic broilers from May thru October on fresh pasture.
- The meat birds are available retail at the farm in limited supply, best purchased during summer and fall.
- We also custom raise chickens for our customers, call us for details.
- Happy chickens make healthy meat.
Our pasture-raised chickens, turkeys, and eggs are certified organic by NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association).
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Why Pasture-raised Poultry?
The following are some highlights from the web site www.eatwild.com and Jo Robinson's book Pasture Perfect published in 2004:
Chickens and turkeys are good foragers. When chickens are raised on pasture they can get as much as 30 percent of their nutritional needs from insects, grass, clover and other greens; turkeys are better grazers and can glean as much as 50 percent of their calories from pasture. As a result, their meat and eggs are high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin A, folic acid, and carotenoids. Poultry birds also need high quality protein from grains in their diet.
A) Health benefits:
- Less fat, fewer calories:
A recent study, funded by the USDA, tested chickens raised on fresh green pasture and compared them with chickens raised in confinement houses. The pasture raised chickens had 21 percent less total fat, 30 percent less saturated fat, and 28 percent fewer calories. The breast meat tested so lean that the USDA could classify it as "fat free". The meat also had 50 percent more vitamin A and 100 percent more omega-3 fatty acids.
- More Omega-3 essential fatty acids also called good fats
There are two families of essential fatty acids (EFA) omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Studies suggest that if your diet contains roughly equal amounts of these two fats, you will have a lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, allergies, obesity, diabetes, dementia, and various other mental disorders.
People with ample amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. They are also less likely to have a heart attack. Research also suggests that a diet rich in omega-3s may help reduce the risk of cancer. However, only 40% of Americans consume adequate levels of omega-3s. Since omega-3s are formed in the green leaves of plants, animals that graze on grass have much higher levels of this fatty acid.
- More natural CLA
Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA is a type of fat that may prove to be one of our most potent cancer fighters as well as a “fat-burning” property, which helps the body convert fat to lean muscle.
- More beta-carotene -Found in fresh grass, this vitamin helps reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease
- Higher Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an important antioxidant, which boosts the immune system and may help decrease the risk of heart disease. Grass and clover contain high amounts of vitamin E. As a result, pasture-raised meat, milk and eggs contain more vitamin E. Switching to the meat, milk, eggs and dairy products of grass-fed animals is one way to restore the vital nutrients to your diet.
B) Improve soil and decrease fly population:
On our farm we practice intensive rotational grazing with our dairy cows. This program promotes soil health and productivity. Incorporating pastured poultry to our dairy farm operation has improved our soil even more. The chickens and turkeys following behind the cattle peck insect and larva from the manure. As they peck and scratch, they disperse the piles, spreading the fertilizer even more. When the cows return to the particular paddock, new grass will be growing where the manure used to be and there will be fewer flies to harass the cows.
C) Humanely produced: no animal cruelty.
D) Environmentally Friendly: Cut down in the use of fossil fuel and prevent the erosion of top soil.
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Animals were meant to live and grow outside with fresh air and grass and not in confined housing. For more information on grass-fed products visit:
www.eatwild.com , www.motherearthnews.com/eggs or www.westonaprice.org
Please contact us for more information about our farm and farm products. We will love to hear from you and share our story. Thank you for supporting our family farm.
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