When we open the doors of our mobile sheds in the morning, the birds rush out and the fresh air rushes in. In some of the larger free range units many birds don’t make it outside the sheds at all.

Our birds arrive on the farm as day old chicks and are kept under gas heaters for around 30 days. They are then moved outside where they can free range from well insulated sheds.

Proper free ranging allows the birds to forage for vegetation, insects and grit. making a significant contribution to their diet and the final product. We feed the birds on a mix of grains which includes 30% maize and this improves the flavour and texture of the meat.

Our birds are a variety called Hubbard which are bred to free range and which really do enjoy their freedom. It is satisfying to watch them grazing and scratching at the base of the hedgerows. They are reared slowly compared to intensively grown birds; around three months is normal for us as opposed to 35 to 40 days for the big broiler sheds.

Our Ethos
By comparison some free range birds are processed at 56 days. The minimum period for growing to most organic certificating bodies is 70 days. Although we are not organic we exceed that minimum period by a further two weeks. We are proud of our efforts to the way we look after our birds. You can see a recent letter from a Defra vet commending us on this aspect of our farming (click here).

			Free Range Chicken
			We supply whole birds and portions. The Roasting birds are the ultimate roasting chickens. The portions are available as: Thigh Meat £5.50/kg Packs of 3 or 4 chicken thighs : delicious in casseroles, curries and stews. Chicken Breast Fillet £13.57 /kg Packs of 2 chicken fillets ideal for stir fry, Chicken Kiev or Cordon Bleu chicken. Drumsticks £1.20 per kg Packs of 3 or 4 drumsticks ideal for children’s meals, parties and barbeques Smoked chicken Ready to eat in single fillet packs. A very subtle mild flavour and absolutely delicious sliced thinly in a gourmet salad or stirred into pasta with a creamy sauce.
			Other products
			Pork from Berkshire pigs We rear our own rare breed Berkshire pigs. The flavour of rare breed free range pork compared to intensively reared commercial breeds has to be tasted to be believed. We supply pork butchered as a whole or a half pig You can choose the type and size of joints you require and whether you would like bacon/sausages etc.
			Geese We rear about 100 geese for the Christmas Market.
			Ducks From time to time we also grow batches of ducks with same attention to timescales and welfare as the chickens.
			Eggs We have about 350 laying birds here at Crowsmoor Farm and the very fresh eggs are sold from the “farm gate”.