Why Raise Chickens?
The Jasper Park Lodge was a regular customer for our wild turkeys and one time phoned to ask “can you raise chickens?”
It just so happened that the previous year I had tried the outdoor method of raising chickens on pasture and produced some very tasty birds. “Of course!” I answered using my small bit of experience to qualify my answer.
That spring I built 10 small 12 foot x 12 foot chicken shelters. I customized the construction so that the daily chore of moving the chickens would become part of my teenage son’s summer job. The resulting chickens were a hit with the Lodge but they wanted a specific size and the variety of sizes sent me looking for other markets. That’s when First Nature Farms established itself at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market.
Free Range
When the chickens would occasionally escape from their 12 x 12 foot chicken shelters I noticed their behavior would change. Rather than being relatively laid back, they would start scratching at the ground and foraging, the behavior I was hoping to achieve by raising them out on pasture. That’s when we decided to expand their freedom and move them to the big 4600 square foot pens.
Chicken Food
Chickens require a high protein diet along with the shelter of warm, dry, draft-free housing to get a good start in life. The birds get their good start dining on a diet of wheat, peas, soy and flax oil, (organic of course). Their first day also includes a treat of melon or apples which encourage them to start pecking to search for food. A bit of apple cider vinegar in their water also helps them out. At 3 to 4 weeks when the days are sunny and warm, they move outside where they supplement their diet with the many greens and grubs the pasture offers.
Antibiotics? GMOs? Animals by-products? Etc?
Never! Our First Nature Farms chickens are provided with a totally plant based diet made from organic grains and seeds and balanced with vitamins and minerals. We always try to buy our grains as locally as possible and small organic farms are given preference. Organic certificates are required for every purchase
The combination of good food, fresh air, clean water, free range and sunshine keeps our birds health – naturally.
Where to Buy?
First Nature Farms chicken is available only in the province of Alberta and can be found at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market in Edmonton and Homesteader Health
in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Bulk orders of 10 or more are possible in each location.
Contact us for more information.
