Organic free range poultry

We are very proud of our poultry enterprise, which combines the very best in animal welfare with a unique tailor-made environment for the chickens.  

As we dont have our own breeding flock we buy in day old organic chicks from another local farm. On arrival we put the chicks in a spacious nursery called a brooder shed, which replicates the warm environment the chicks would have experienced under their mother. Initially they feed from small trays of food and water, and as they grow over a period of a week they start to try out the larger feeding bowls and drinkers. This early phase in their life is key as the birds fledge and prepare themselves for a life out in the fields.

Since our early days rearing poultry, we have done a lot of work with an animal behaviourist trying to find better ways to create the best possible environment in which the birds can grow, encouraging good free-range behaviour, and the development of social groups and stress free conditions. At Sheepdrove we go much further than simply the recognised organic standards and we continually develop new ideas to improve our production.

In the brooder sheds we place wooden perches so the young chicks can perch and rest just as they would in the wild, and at the same time ensure plenty of exercise and proper muscle development. The brooder sheds have conservatories with a full view of the outside world allowing the young chicks to get accustomed to the sights and sounds on the farm. A CD system plays a recording of the sounds the birds will experience in the fields such as passing tractors, the occasional helicopter flying overhead, and wild bird calls. Again exposing the chicks to all they will experience later in life, helps to acclimatise the birds and reduces the stress caused by sudden surprises when they move to the fields. It also ensures that the young birds never think that the world is simply four walls and a ceiling! Currently we are constructing a new brooder house on the farm and during this interim period approximately half the chicks are housed in mobile sheds in the field.

The chicks in these field sheds are naturally exposed to the noises of the farm and so do not have the CD system installed. Being mobile sheds they have had windows installed in place of the conservatories. The new brooder shed will be fully equipped with the CD system and conservatories and we hope to have our chicks in the house by February. If anyone has any thoughts on how we could further enrich the lives of our chickens then let us know via the website contact system.

After 3 weeks the birds have grown their outdoor plumage and it is time to free-range in our AGROFORESTRY field layout, an area that provides a stimulating environment, shade and shelter and a wide range of natural food sources. We developed our unique agroforestry system with the poultry team, our Biodiversity Officer, animal behaviourists like Cindy Engle, and Elm Farm Research Centre.

Out in in the fields the birds are housed in mobile houses in the same group that grew-up together in the brooder shed. Each shed is moved onto fresh pasture as a new flock arrives. Just as in the brooder sheds, the field houses have perches, fresh water and ad-lib food from feeders powered by solar panels. There is also an ad-lib supply of grit which helps the bird’s digestive system. In very cold weather heating may be provided and temperatures are monitored daily. Each mobile house has a sand bath for dust bathing , scratching and preening so that the birds can get rid of any parasites.

The agroforestry strip is another Sheepdrove development and includes trees and shrub plants, fruiting bushes, and a mixture of herbs and grasses. As well as providing a natural environment for the chickens which are descended from jungle fowl and would naturally live in the jungle edge, the plantations also harbour a wealth of insect life and fruit, all providing a natural diet for the birds. The herbs provide a self-medication larder with natural preventative qualities including plants which sooth an upset tummy, plants rich in vitamin C and natural anti-wormers.

At night the birds come home to roost in their houses, where they are shut in and predators kept out! Each morning the birds are let out to range freely as they wish. The whole principle of the Sheepdrove system is that a chicken is happiest when it is doing what comes naturally, and this is best achieved by providing birds with the most natural environment that meets all its needs. Strong, healthy, stress free birds is our aim.

When the birds are mature, at twelve weeks, they are carefully caught by hand in the early hours to minimise stress and take the short journey to our purpose-built EEC slaughterhouse here on the farm. 

Our customers really appreciate the way we rear our poultry, with the combined effect of a healthy natural environment, plenty of ranging space and a varied diet producing a great tasting bird.

The demand for Sheepdrove chicken has been so great that we are now working with two other farms to produce additional chickens in the same way that we do - FAI Farms at Oxford & Oldstour Farms, Shaftesbury. The farms are inspected by our farm manager to ensure that  our Sheepdrove standards are adhered to.

 

We also support local small-scale organic poultry farmers by processing their poultry in our abattoir. This is very important for small farms, where the trend has been to industrialise, with larger and larger production units. We can help them to stay small and attain high welfare standards.

Guinea Fowl

 

We rear a small number of guinea fowl each week. They follow the same system as our free range chickens although they are sometimes harder to catch!. A great tasting alternative to chicken.

 

Our Turkeys

 

Each July sees the start of the Christmas turkey flock. The poultry team clean and sterilise the sheep sheds in June and erect a temporary brooding house ready for the arrival of the day-old turkey chicks. We rear a mixture of traditional breeds - Norfolk Bronze, and Norfolk Blacks, Bourbon Reds & Slate Greys

The chicks settle in pens with heat lights to keep them warm, ad-lib feed and with constant access to fresh water. As they grow we expand the pens until they are about three weeks old, when we remove the pen and they are given the run of the building and the straw bedding.

By four weeks they have grown proper outdoor plumage and are ready to move to their field. There they are allowed to roam freely with access to a large wood.

Just like the chickens, the turkeys have overnight accommodation in mobile houses. Turkeys are very curious creatures and we provide lots of ‘toys’ and a diverse environment to satisfy their inquisitive nature. Old CDs suspended on string seems to be a great favourite. When you arrive at the turkey field the birds charge across and come to meet you, but unfortunately they do not have much common sense, so we have to gather them in to their houses at night to roost to protect them from predators.

We weigh the birds on a regular basis to check what sizes we will have available for our direct sales. Normally we are sold out by the end of November and we then have to juggle weights to orders as unfortunately we can't tell the birds to get to a certain weight! So order early! Please check availability with our sales team. Following slaughter the turkeys are all hung for two weeks in our chillers to produce the best possible flavour.

Buy our delicious organic poultry at our online shop or call our sales team now. Tel: 01488 674747