Three Cariboo women committed to holistic farming practices, as well as preserving heritage chickens for sustainable meat and eggs, have come together as partners in a unique venture.
Danielle Kugelstadt from Snowvale Heritage Chicken in Big Lake, Danielle Kershaw from Kershaw Farm in Springhouse and Sarah Best from Phoenix Farm in 150 Mile House raise, breed and sell free-range heritage chickens and their eggs.
The three women say that comparing hatchery birds and farm birds is like comparing apples and oranges, that hatchery birds have had hardiness and the ability to forage and reproduce without human intervention bred right out of them.
"We've gotten to expect instant gratification, with birds that are born and bred to lay eggs or grow very quickly for meat — it's all about huge production. People expect massive chickens and want them in 10 weeks," Kugelstadt said.
"They want a carcass the size of a small turkey and that's just not realistic."
"Our birds might be smaller and take longer to raise but they have a free-range quality of life and have not lost the ability to forage," Kershaw added.
"I've seen hatchery birds just sit by the feeder all day and eat," Best said. "If you take them outside they don't know what to do. My chicken race outside the minute the door is opened, and some run for the back fence to start foraging."
Kershaw said that the eggs and meat from their heritage birds are free from antibiotics and hormones, and that the great taste is only one of the benefits.
"We know what they've been fed and where they come from," she noted, adding that the difference in taste between hatchery and farm chickens is like the difference between a fresh garden carrot and one from a store.
"If we don't preserve these breeds we're in big trouble — we lose genetic diversity," Kugelstadt added.
"Those brown, red and white chickens people buy from their local feed stores have been bred out.
"They all originated from breeds like ours, but now they burn out after a couple of years and die."
Phoenix Farms is now celebrating a year as an active business. "I've had orders from P.E.I. and from New Brunswick, for the second year in a row. We have orders from all over, including Manitoba and Saskatchewan and have been invited to do a heritage chicken show in Alberta, where people in the industry are impressed with the caliber of our stock," she said.
Getting involved with heritage chickens is much more than great eggs and meat for the three women. Kershaw, who also raises meat rabbits, lambs, pigs and cattle, said that it reflects a way of life for them and their families.
"My kids will know how to put food on their table," Kugelstadt noted.
"This is about teaching our children the value of each animal and how to feed and care for them. They will not be detached from their food source — they are emotionally invested in it."
Brown Mang
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