A chicken is a chicken, right?!

Nope!

Our John Henry’s chickens are different. They get lots of fresh air and sunshine. They scratch for their food, like bugs and worms buried beneath surface. They have lots of pasture to roam. In fact, we even plant special plants, bushes and shrubs that they like to snack on.

Our chickens out enjoying the lush pasture and sun.

Our chickens go beyond free range, which according to PETA’s article here, means the birds must only be allowed to move around freely in their coop. It does not mean they have access to pasture outdoors. We instead, refer to our chickens as pasture raised or pastured chickens.  It is so important to purchase your chicken from a local farmer that you trust because according to PETA there are many loopholes that large companies use to call themselves free range.

Confined free range chickens in a factory farm setting.  (NOT OUR CHICKENS)

“While free-range and organic egg farms are technically supposed to give birds outdoor access, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided that “they may be temporarily confined” for “reasons of health, safety, the animal’s stage of production or to protect soil or water quality.” Many free-range egg farms take full advantage of this loophole by almost never allowing the birds outside.” – PETA

Because we choose to do things differently that means our chickens will also taste and cook differently. They are very lean and you will not have extra juices for basting. So please follow our recipe below if you are looking to roast a John Henry’s chicken.