When we decided to raise chickens, the first question we asked ourselves was: what kind of life do we want these birds to have? Not "how many can we fit in a coop" or "what's the cheapest feed" — what kind of life. That question determined everything.
Pasture-raised means more than grass. It means daily rotation so they're always on fresh land, with bugs to scratch and space to roam without crowding. In winter, they get deep bedding and access to the outdoors even on cold days — because chickens, it turns out, don't mind the cold as much as we do.
People ask us why our eggs have those deep orange yolks. It's the diet. When chickens eat what they were meant to eat — insects, seeds, fresh greens, and quality feed — the egg shows it. You can see the difference before you even crack one.
There's no shortcut to a good egg. It takes land, care, time, and respect for the animal. We have about forty hens right now. We could have four hundred if we cut corners. We choose forty done right over four hundred done wrong. That's the whole philosophy, really.