Pastured Poultry Production Part 1 of 4

Pastured Poultry Production: A workshop on systems innovations & best practices for maximizing profits (Recorded Sunday February 14, 2016)

Presenters: Pete Lowy & Jennifer Hashley of Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds, Lincoln, MA.

Learn from two pastured poultry producers in Massachusetts, Pete and Jen about their approach to pasture-raised poultry (eggs, meat birds, and turkeys) for direct markets. Pete and Jen have developed production systems to save labor and create management efficiencies to maximize profits. From focused pasture management, development of a Mobile Poultry Processing Unit, to a hands-free pasture watering system, mobile grain wagons to scale feed purchasing, a unique nest box mobile wagon system, automatic egg washing machine, (and more!); learn how this farm has grown their enterprise while reducing labor costs and maintaining pasture integrity and how they built a reputation for high quality products for local consumers.

Background information:

Both Pete and Jen worked full time off-farm until 2014 when Pete went full time on-farm.

They have always paid for all equipment and materials with cash without going into debt.

Their meat birds and eggs are NOT certified organic, but they do buy organic grain from Green Mountain Feeds. Poultry products (meat and eggs) marketed as "Pasture-Raised & Organic Fed."

They do not offer a CSA, but take pre-orders at the beginning of the season for broilers. They take a non-refundable deposit on meat birds (originally $5/bird, in 2013 was $10/bird, 2015 was $15/bird).

Their order form is released March 1st and they lock in 80% of their broiler sales at the beginning of the season

They charge by the pound and let customers know price per pound at beginning of season:

Cornish boilers: $6.59/pound
Freedom Ranger braoilers: $6.99/pound

Regular eggs: $7.50/dozen
Jumbo eggs: $8.00/dozen
Cracked eggs: $4.25/dozen
Resturaunt eggs: $6.50/dozen

Processed all meat birds themselves up until 2014 when they began using a mobile unit. They now use a USDA inspected slaughter facility in RI that returns vacuum sealed birds with label, weight and price.

Main markets aredirect to customer. They also sell eggs to other farm stands and other CSAs.

They maximize the use of free publicity ("Edible ________" magazines, newspapers, online articles, bloggers, and are listed on all the "buy local" websites. The use Facebook, Twitter, and an email newsletter to keep in touch with customers, but mainly rely on "word of mouth" advertising.

Links:

Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds Website:

UVM Extension Farm Viability Resource Library:

"Virtual Chicken" at Auburn University:

Farmer Boy Ag:

My Pet Chicken:

Buckhorn Plastics "CenterFlow" containers:

Permiere1:

Hyline:

Happy Egg Washer

[cuddleninja]

Its disparaging to hear about the cornish cross. I just can not stand the idea of it.