We are ardent followers of the Joel Salatin method of raising chicken.  We start out with the right breed of chicken, the Cornish Cross.  This chicken, when cooked properly,  is meaty, tender, moist and has great flavor (a winninng combination).  We add to that a specially formulated (to our specifications) feed from a certified Organic miller.  This certified organic feed has the optimum combination of nutrients to raise our chcikens and keep them healthy.  This feed is totally free from any chemicals, growth accelerators, hormones or antibiotics.  We add to that some special supplements such as probiotic s to aid in the digestion of the feed and a full spectrum of 80 to 90 minerals to create our optimum nutritional program. 

Our chicks spend their first 2 weeks or so in a brooder untill they get strong enough to brave the elements.  We then move them to our pasture with our cows.  Our chickens and cows form a wonderfully closed ecological system requiring very little external input and improving our soil and environment over time.  The cows convert the grass that we grow to high quality beef.  The chickens follow the cows and do three very important tasks for us. 

First they spread the cow manure left by our friendly cows as they search for fly larvae and other bugs.  This avoids the expense in labor and machinery to perform this task mechanically with a tractor.  Secondly, they eat the worms and bugs in the soil along with the grass growing in the pasture.  This is especially important to our cows as it keeps the fly and other harmful pest population to a minimum.  Furthermore, it provides a healthy addition to the chickens diet.  The grass is a wonderful internal cleanser which benefits the chickens health as well as adding the health quality of the meat consumed by us.  You will find chickens raised on fresh  green grass have a lower fat content, their fat actually being beneficial for our bodies being high in the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, and E) we so desparately need in a form we can absorb in the body,  Furthermore, it is higher in CLA than factory farmed chickenn.  There is extensive research on the health properties of CLA spearheaded by Dr. Dipak Timan of the Utah State University.  His findings indicate that study after study confirm the cancer fighting properties of this important nutrient as well as its ability to positively innfluence weight control.  In order for our chickens to remain healthy we move them to a fresh patch of grass each and every day. 

Finally, the chickens add high nitrogen fertilizer to our grasses.  This avoids the need to spread artificial chemicals on the soil and provides the nutirents to the grass to grwo back quickly.  Our soil actually improves over time gaining in rich organic matter and soil life so important to the production of the high quailty pastures. 

To see a detailed comparison of our chicekn practices at Dey Dey's and those of conventional chicken farms click on this link: "Comparison of Dey Dey's Chicken to Conventional Chicken."

  Comparison of Dey Dey's Chicken to conventional Factory Farmed Chicken