HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CHICKEN?

Eat better and be an educated consumer! We have found that some people don’t realize that most of the chicken you buy in the grocery store is raised in poor filthy living conditions. These birds are kept in tight spaces and force fed night and day. I’m sure that we all have seen those “super-birds” on the shelf. Our family raises chickens and even our biggest roosters don’t have breasts or wings that look like that. I have watched those truckloads of chickens being taken to the factory and thought wow there’s so many! That can’t be good. When we think about chicken houses, they are huge! Inside they house tens of thousands of birds at one time. Some become sick and are given antibiotics but it’s supposed to be ok with us as consumers, because the federal law mandates that chickens be free of antibiotics BEFORE they leave the farm. So let’s feed them more so the antibiotics will flush through their system faster….. right??? WRONG! The problem with this is that the farmers get paid for the final weight of the chickens. So all that really matters is how much weight they gained in the end.

As you can imagine a lot of these chickens don’t make it, but they aren’t always cleaned up so the birds who survive end up feasting on dead birds. Chickens do eat other chickens! Once at the slaughterhouse they are washed with bleach and treated with chemicals, like chlorine, before being packaged and sold to us to eat. They are marketed and labeled as “all natural” or “vegetarian fed” but what does that really mean?!?! A diet of genetically modified soy and corn along with fillers plus some antibiotics on the side. They want us to eat this and sadly for years we have. The question that we should ask ourselves is this: Do we really want to continue to feed our family this way?!?? I’m sure the answer is no. Your health and theirs is too important! The fact is that we all have choices. We can choose to be aware of what we put in our mouths, we’re fed themselves. We can learn how the animals we eat were raised, treated, harvested, etc. We can ask questions and be informed consumers. I personally know someone who raises chickens and sells them and they are huge! I also know that he gives them the cheapest feed he can find in bulk and makes sure that they don’t ever run out. Just because someone owns a farm or raises chicken doesn’t mean they are fed well or even well cared for. We know that not everyone can or even wants to eat organically but it’s important to be aware and in control of what we eat. Food can be healing. We often become sick because what we ate was sick. Please don’t take our word for it. Research for yourselves and then decide. We are in no way saying that everyone who owns a chicken house or has a mass production poultry farm is bad. This post is about being informed and aware of those who are. Thank you for taking the time to read this information. It is our sincere hope that it helps us all to be better consumers. We want you to think about what you eat…..so be informed and choose better!

Rachel Hawkins of Hawkins Homestead

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!