Our Animals

Laying Hens and Ducks

Green Meadows Farm has approximately 500 laying hens. Our chickens are a variety of mostly Heritage breeds, including New Hampshire Reds and Plymouth Barred Rocks. Our chickens are moved frequently on pasture, allowing them a diet of grass, forage and bugs while being supplemented with a mix of organic grains. As they are moved around they improve the soil beneath them as they scratch and add manure. Typically, our chickens lay an egg about every day and a half, depending on the weather and daylight hours.

A question we hear frequently is, "Will chickens lay eggs without a rooster around?" The answer is, "Of course!" Roosters are only needed to fertilize the egg. However, we keep the roosters around because they protect the hens from predators like hawks and foxes. Although our eggs are fertilized when harvested, once they are refrigerated, they are no longer "potential chickens". Our eggs are high in Omega-3 fatty acids because of the hens’ diet.Typical grocery store eggs are weeks old, where as our eggs sell out nearly every day and can last a month or more in your fridge.

The ducks we raise are called Khaki Campbells. They live with our chickens and lay large white eggs. The eggs are much larger than our chicken eggs with larger and deeper orange yolks. Because of their large yolks, they are excellent for baking. Our chef uses duck eggs in most recipes that call for eggs. They taste very similar to chicken eggs, just a little richer. Duck eggs are labeled "duck" or "quack" on the egg cartons in the farmstand next to our chicken eggs and cost the same.

Interested in learning more about chickens? We Recommend: Chickens in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide.

Why Our Eggs are So Wonderful...

As it turns out, all the choices of eggs at your supermarket aren't providing you much of a choice at all.
Recent tests conducted by Mother Earth News magazine have shown once again that eggs from chickens that range freely on pasture provide clear nutritional benefits over eggs from confinement operations. Mother Earth News collected samples from 14 pastured flocks across the country and had them tested at an accredited laboratory. The results were compared to official US Department of Agriculture data for commercial eggs. Results showed the pastured eggs contained an amazing:

1/3 less cholesterol than commercial eggs
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
7 times more beta carotene

Eggs from hens raised outdoors on pasture have from three to six times more vitamin D than eggs from hens raised in confinement. Pastured hens are exposed to direct sunlight, which their bodies convert to vitamin D and then pass on to the eggs.  Vitamin D is best known for its role in building strong bones. New research shows that it can also enhance the immune system, improve mood, reduce blood pressure, combat cancer, and reduce the risk of some autoimmune disorders. This latest good news about eggs comes from a study just released by Mother Earth News, a magazine that plays a leading role in promoting health-enhancing, natural foods. The editors found that eating just two eggs will give you from 63-126% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D.
Note that this benefit comes only from hens that are free to graze fresh greens, eat bugs, and bask in the sun. Most of the eggs sold in the supermarket do not meet this criterion. Even though the label says that the eggs are "certified organic" or come from "uncaged" or "free-range" hens or from hens fed an "all-vegetarian" diet, this is no guarantee that the hens had access to the outdoors or pasture.

One tip about using our eggs: they are difficult to peel when hard boiled. This is because as eggs sit in the refrigerator, more of an air pocket develops between the egg and the shell. If you'd like to make deviled eggs with our eggs, let them sit in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 weeks.


Christmas Morning Frittata
Eggs en Cocotte
Homemade Eggnog
Flan

Chickens for Meat

We also raise chickens for meat. We raise them in open air pens, which are moved to new pasture every few days. These chickens eat certified organic grain, plus fresh grass and bugs. They are processed when they are approximately twelve weeks old and weigh about three to five pounds. Because of their diet and access to fresh air, the taste of these birds is far superior to chickens available at supermarkets. You can find these chickens fresh or in our freezer. If you don't see them in the freezer, just ask and we can check in the back for you.

Sheep

Many breeds of sheep are raised at Green Meadows Farm. We move them all over the property, using mobile electric fencing, to ensure they always get fresh pasture. Most of our sheep are Dorset Horned, but we also raise several different other breeds including: Southdown, Cheviot (a rare breed from New Zealand), and one Border Leicester (like the breed from the movie "Babe"). They are by far the cutest animals at the farm! Each year we breed the the flock, so look out for little lambs in the spring.

 

 

Pigs

Our forest-raised pork is extremely popular with our customers. Our pigs are free to roam through the woods. In addition to organic grain and forage, these pigs are also the first recipients of any leftover milk and organic vegetables from the farmstand. We’ve raised a variety of Heritage breed pigs including Tamworth and Berkshires. Each year we get a new group of piglets which we raise all summer and process in the fall and winter. Click here to learn more about our forest-raised meat and why it's so great.

 

How to buy our eggs / meat:

We sell our eggs daily in the farmstand. Our eating chickens are on a first-come, first-served basis. We often have them available frozen, so check our freezer or feel free to ask if there are any frozen chickens in the back of the farmstand. Lamb, pork and beef are available for purchase in the farmstand. We offer grass-fed beef from local farms. Pork and beef may also be purchased through shares. Click here to sign up for pork shares and grass-fed beef shares.

If you are looking for more exotic meats such as buffalo, venison or ostrich, you can purchase them these items through our Grocery Co-op.