Why our chickens are Better
Click here to
Buying baby chicks from small-scale hatchery like Francisco Plantation rather than a big-box retail store (like Tractor Supply or other large chains) is often considered the gold standard for starting a healthy, long-lasting flock.
While big-box stores offer convenience, here is why a local supplier is usually the better choice:
1. Superior Health and Reduced Stress
- No Shipping Trauma: Big-box stores receive their chicks via mail from massive commercial hatcheries. This journey can take 2–3 days, during which chicks are exposed to extreme temperatures and dehydration. Local chicks are often "unshipped," meaning they were hatched right there or nearby, resulting in much lower mortality rates.
- Vigor: Local breeders often select for longevity and disease resistance. In contrast, "production" birds from big hatcheries are sometimes bred for high-speed growth or egg laying at the expense of a long, healthy life.
.
The "Human" Manual: When you buy from a local farmer, you get a mentor. They can tell you exactly what the chicks have been eating, their specific temperament, and how to handle your local climate.
To quickly summarize the key points, local hatcheries offer healthier chicks due to reduced shipping stress and better care. You also benefit from better genetics, personalized advice from experts, and greater variety in breeds. It's a more ethical and reliable approach.
Farm-raised chickens (specifically those that are pasture-raised or regenerative) offer several distinct advantages over factory-raised (industrial) chickens. These benefits generally fall into three categories:
1. Nutritional Superiority
Because farm-raised chickens have a diverse diet of grass, seeds, and insects, their meat is more nutrient-dense:
- Healthier Fats: They typically contain up to 3x more Omega-3 fatty acids and a much lower ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3, which helps reduce inflammation in humans.
- Vitamin Content: Research shows they can have 50% more Vitamin A, D, and E compared to factory birds, largely due to their exposure to sunlight and fresh forage.
- Lower Fat: They are generally leaner, containing roughly 21% less total fat and 30% less saturated fat than industrial birds.
2. Animal Welfare & Health
The environment on a small-scale farm is vastly different from a high-density industrial barn:
- Natural Behavior: Farm-raised birds can peck, scratch, and dust-bathe. This lower-stress environment leads to healthier immune systems.
- No Routine Antibiotics: In crowded factory farms, antibiotics are often used preventatively to stop disease. Small farms rarely need them because the birds have fresh air and aren't living in their own waste.
- Slower Growth: Many farms use "heritage" or slow-growing breeds. Factory chickens are bred to grow so fast their legs and hearts often fail; farm-raised birds grow at a natural pace, resulting in better muscle development.
3. Environmental Impact
Farm-raised systems often function as a part of a regenerative ecosystem:
- Soil Fertility: Instead of producing massive amounts of concentrated waste (pollution), farm chickens act as mobile "fertilizers," moving across the land and enriching the soil with nitrogen.
- Lower Carbon Footprint: These farms typically rely less on fossil-fuel-intensive commercial feeds and heavy transportation, often improving local biodiversity instead of depleting it.
4. Culinary Quality
- Texture: Because these birds actually move and exercise, the meat has more "structure" and a firmer, more satisfying bite compared to the sometimes mushy texture of factory-raised chicken.
- Deep Flavor: A varied diet creates a more complex, "chickeny" flavor that doesn't require heavy seasoning to taste