What makes .64 Farms different from commercial agriculture?

We believe in farming responsibly in a way that always allows the animals to express their natural behaviors. We never confine our animals in a way that would make them uncomfortable or keep them from interacting with their environment. We do not believe in using antibiotics or feeding animal byproducts.

How does the ordering process work?

We use a flock-share model. The customer owns a portion of the flock from the day the chicks arrive on our farm until they are picked up. Payment must be received prior to the chicks arriving at .64 farms. Each share is about 5 chickens. Shares are limited so the sooner you place your order the better. The order schedule for 2010 is(dates subject to change):

  • Payment Due: March 15th – Pickup Birds: May 15th
  • Payment Due: May 23rd – Pickup Birds: July 24th
  • Payment Due: August 1st – Pickup Birds: October 2nd

How do you raise your chickens?

Our modern broiler chickens are raised on pasture in a mobile pen and the heritage broilers are free range. We move the modern broiler pen daily to a different spot. This allows the chickens to have fresh grass to eat and clean bedding to sleep on. The pens are open air and allow the chickens to get fresh air and sunlight. The birds always have plenty of space to move about. Our egg hens are raised free range with a fixed coop that holds their nest boxes. They are free to roam.

What do your chickens eat?

Our chickens feast on a diet of grass, weeds, bugs and an all vegetarian feed. During the first 2 or 3 weeks of their life they are given a small amount of Apple Cider Vinegar with their water. This helps boost their immune system and fights diseases that are common to baby chicks.

Do you send your chickens to a butcher to be processed?

We do not send our chickens to a butcher to be processed. We process the chickens personally on the farm. This allows us to have greater control of the final product and to keep costs down. This also keeps in line with our processes always being transparent to the customer. Our customers are welcome to come to the farm on processing day to watch or even help with the process.

When I pickup the chicken, what will it look like?

The Chickens that we process will be very much like what you’re used to seeing in the grocery store. They will be a whole processed chicken unless otherwise specified. A processed chicken is dressed and ready for your oven. We leave the neck on as this is one of the most flavorful portions of the bird. The bones of our birds make superb stocks and stews.

How are your hogs different than commercially raised hogs?

In the book Traditional Feeding of Farm Animals it says “No farm animal appreciates good feed and comfortable quarters, however, or responds more readily to good treatment, than do swine, but none are more abused in these respects.” This statement completely sums up current state of commercial agriculture. This book was originally written in 1915 and in less than 100 years we have completely changed our methods of raising pigs. It may be more “efficient” but the end product is more unhealthy than ever. By contrast, our pigs are allowed to roam freely outdoors to eat, root and farrow their piglets. The natural process takes longer but the quality and flavor of our pork is above all else.