Pasture-Raised Poultry
Our chickens and turkeys are introduced to the farm as day-old chicks. They settling into our brooders until they are big enough to move to our mobile chicken-coops. They are moved daily to fresh organic pasture and provided non-GMO feed.
Pasture-Raised Chickens
The chick brooder is a cozy area that is bedded with straw, has heat lamps and the birds are supplied with constant access to non-GMO feed and water. Once they are 3 weeks of age and have lost their yellow fuzz and grown their white feathers, they are big and strong enough to be moved to pasture. The chickens are then moved into mobile coops. The coops are moved to fresh pasture daily and contain a continual supply of fresh water and non-GMO grains. The grains are milled by Storie Farms on-site and mixed to create custom feed.
In 2022, we joined the Ontario Artisanal Chicken Program which regulates and monitors the standards for ethical raising.
Pasture Raised Turkey
There is no better staple to a holiday dinner than a roasted turkey sitting in the centre of the table. One may start preparing this bird days before a celebration, but in fact the true beginning of this meal started months before here on our farm.
At Storie Farms we receive our turkey poults as day olds that then spend the first few weeks in our brooder. Our brooders are equipped with fresh bedding, heat lamps, waterers and feeders. The birds also have access to non-GMO grains that are custom milled by Storie Farms on-site.
At 4-6 weeks of age we move them to a large fenced-in pasture. During the day they are free to roam, scratch and forage for food. They also have access to a coop to get out of the elements.
Turkeys, unlike chickens, take several months to grow to a harvestable size. We receive the turkeys in June and they are with us until late September. Because we prefer to give our birds access to pasture; they naturally grow a bit slower. However, this approach is healtheir for our birds, resulting in a much more flavourful meat.
All of our birds are butchered at a local federally licensed and inspected facility the week before Thanksgiving. There, they are packaged whole in vacuum sealed bags and frozen same day.
Why Mobile Coops?
Over the years, we have proudly raised our poultry in both mobile coops and free-range settings.
We have found that mobile coops are beneficial because they allow us to give our birds fresh pasture every single day. Our coops offer the birds plenty of space so they can still explore. Furthermore, becasue they are moved daily they cause less soil damage and the birds actually fertilize the grounds increasing the biodiversity. It's a win-win for us and the birds!
How We Process
All of our birds are butchered at a local federally licensed and inspected facility. Our birds are vaccuum sealed and frozen whole.