From Jennifer Megyesi's book The Joy of Keeping Chickens, two Barred Silver Cockerels poke their heads out of a crate while the butcher prepares to do his work at the farm. (Geoff Hansen photograph)
Poultry
Our poultry is raised on pasture and fed a mixture of crushed, whole grains with added minerals and vitamins. The grain is purchased from the local mill in Bethel, Vermont. We purchase day-old chicks from a small company in Pennsylvania. The meat chicken breeds we choose are better adapted to foraging on grass and supplementing their grain diet with insects, seeds and other delectables they scavenge will free-ranging. We also raise a small number of turkeys and guinea hens each season. These usually sell out quickly, so order ahead. Chickens are available at Norwich Farmer's Market or at our farm year-round. Cost for chicken is $4.50 a pound; guinea hens are $15 each, and turkeys (available the week before Thanksgiving) are $4.25 a pound.