OUR PASTURED BROILERS
Our irish dexters
Our pastured chickens are raised on sunshine, fresh air, and fresh forage in addition to GMO-free local grain and amendments like kelp and organic apple cider vinegar. After they graduate from their brooders, they are transferred to chicken “tractors” - a portable shelter with no floor and protected by temporary electric fencing. Our breeds include both Cornish Cross and Red Rangers. The result is a very flavorful, healthy meat.
The Irish Dexter is known as the smallest cattle breed (other than true miniatures, which are really small!). Dexters are native to the southwestern region of Ireland in County Kerry, where they were loosely kept by small landholders, in an almost wild state of nature. There they learned to thrive in mountainous regions in all weather, on whatever forages were available. They provided both wonderful meat and milk to the homestead while other breeds in large commercial herds served the broader market. They are hardy and resilient, yet both meat and milk are of exceptional quality and taste. Its been said that "Dexter tastes as beef used to taste."
The Irish Dexter is the quintessential homestead cow. It is a triple-purpose animal, producing beef, excellent milk for the family, and use as a draft animal to plow or to haul loads. The Dexter’s temperament is so gentle that they can be handled by children. They are excellent mothers, rarely requiring help in calving.
The Dexter's small size makes for a family cow that can thrive on less pasture than a modern breed, full-size cow. Another advantage of the smaller frame bovine is that it’s found to be more efficient, requiring less intake per pound of growth, or per gallon of milk produced, than larger breeds.
OUR IDAHO PASTURE PIGS
Idaho Pastured Pigs will greet you with friendly grunts, keep your lawn trimmed and provide you with delicious, more marbled, rich and fully-flavored meat than commercially grown hog meat. Moreover, they are kid-friendly, chicken and goat friendly, docile pigs that will roll over for a good belly rub. Best of all, for homesteaders and farmers, they consume very little grain, thriving on forage while fertilizing your land.
IPP’s is a newer breed of pig that is composed of the Duroc, Old Berkshire, and the Kune Kune pig.
Provided these pigs receive the necessary minerals their bodies require, they will not root in the ground like most pigs. Small farmers embraced the breed since they don't require a lot of land to flourish.
We apply our regenerative farming methods to raising IPP’s. They are moved weekly to fresh pasture, consuming diverse forage and improving the land with their soil disturbance and manure. In addition to forage, they eat organic vegetable scraps from our commercial kitchen, eggs from our pastured chickens, kelp and minerals, whey, and from our garden - mangle beets and pumpkins.
Benefits to the homesteader and small farmer are:
1. Cheaper to keep. Grass is their main food
2. They don't root as much due to their upturned noses
3. Require only a couple of cups of grain daily
4. Friendly to chickens, kids, livestock
5. Do not require strong fencing - we use electronet
6. Provide you with extraordinary meat and lard
7. They are faster growing than similar heritage breeds yet retain the docile characteristics of the Kune Kune’s.