About Our Farm Animals
Laying Hens
Green Meadows Farm has approximately 300 laying hens. These chickens are a variety of mostly Heritage breeds, including: Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Barred Rocks, a combination of Reds and Rocks and Auraucana, (These are responsible for the blue green eggs.)
Our chickens eat a mix of organic grains and also are free-ranging on grass and bugs, which make up the bulk of their diet. We have one hen house located behind the farmstand. Its chickens are about six months old and just beginning to lay eggs. The chickens living in our three mobile trailers move to different pastures constantly. As they are moved around, they are always getting fresh grass and bugs, while improving 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 funny 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. Predators are still an issue here, but less so because of the roosters. 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. Don't bother trying to hard boil one of our fresh eggs - it's nearly impossible to remove the shell. The longer an egg sits, the larger the air sac is betewen the shell and the white. Typical grocery store eggs are weeks old, wher eas our eggs sell out nearly every day and can last a month or more in your fridge.
Interested in learning more about chickens? We Recommend: Chickens in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide. We also have a beautiful book for sale in the farmstand from local author Terry Golson: The Farmstead Egg Cookbook.
Why Our Eggs are So Wonderful...
As it turns out, all those 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 to Eat
We also raise chickens for meat. These are Cornish Cross, a typical meat bird. 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.
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. This year we have several breeds of lambs including Dorset Horned, 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! We have started a breeding flock so look out for little lambs in the spring.
Pigs
Our pasture-raised pork is extremely popular with our customers. Our pigs are range free through the woods. In addition to organic grain and forage, these pigs also are the first recipients of any leftover milk and organic vegetables from the farmstand, In the past, we’ve raised a variety of Heritage breed pigs including Tamworth and Berkshires. Because Heritage breeds are difficult to find, this year we are raising Yorkshire pigs, a very common breed in the United States.
How to buy our meat:
We sell our eggs daily in the farmstand. Our eating chickens are on a first- come, first- served basis. We started registration for these “meat chickens” earlier this year, and the response was so overwhelming that we stopped taking sign-ups.
Those customers who were registered early will be the first to get their chickens, and afterward we will start selling fresh chickens out of our cooler. Lamb and pork are currently only available through our “share” program. (See information below) Customers must commit to ½ lamb or ¼ pig and will receive and pay for their meat as it is ready. Signing up for the 2009 meat share will open for existing CSA members in the month of October, and then to the public in November. Our meat shares typically sell out by December.
We carry a variety of meats from other farms in the Green Meadows Farmstand, including local grass-fed beef, Vermont uncured bacon, organic buffalo, wild salmon, and all-natural chicken. Specialty meats like ostrich may be ordered through our grocery co-op.
Meat Shares
