![]() ![]() They sell high-quality poultry products that are 100% pasture raised. What started out as a small kitchen garden has blossomed into a thriving poultry farm that has garnered local acclaim for the quality of its produce and farm-fresh eggs with delicious egg yolks. Hohns Acres FarmsteadĮstablished in 2018, Hohns Acres Farmstead is owned by farmers Amanda and Jeremy, who moved to the country with the aim of having a simpler and slower-paced life. So, if you’re also looking for tasty, sustainable poultry or chicken near me, then here are six chicken farms in Central Texas that sell pasture-raised eggs and chicken. Unlike factory poultry farming where quality decreases, pastured poultry is antibiotic-free, and one can rest assured that the chickens have been raised under humane conditions. This helps me build a good relationship with the poultry farmers and find out more about their chicken-raising methods, so I can be sure I’m buying the best farm-raised chicken near me. Whenever I’m at a farmers' markets or visiting a Texas poultry farm, I make it a point to talk to the farming staff themselves. They are ready to process 57 days after hatching, at which time we personally deliver them to King And Sons Poultry.I’m sure I’m not the only one who considers chicken and farm fresh eggs to be important food staples. As they move around, their nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich manure fertilizes the pasture, which benefits not only our land, but also our grass-fed animals. These portable coops protect the chickens from predators, and we move them twice a day every day to give the chickens access to fresh snacks like grass, clover and bugs. After spending their first few fragile weeks under heat lamps, we move them outside to chicken “tractors,” named such because the way the chickens instinctually scratch at the ground mimics the way a tractor loosens soil. ![]() Our chickens do not receive any hormones or feed additives, and still finish out at a healthy 7-7.5 pounds live weight. The majority of their diet at Turner Farm is locally grown, freshly ground non-GMO grain from Bethel Feed & Supply. This cross of purebred Cornish and White Rock hens naturally grow fast and have large breast, thigh and leg proportions. We raise Cornish Rock Cross chickens from Mt. Their happy lives lead to healthier meat: bacon fat from pastured pigs comes replete with fat-soluble vitamin D, and pigs raised on pasture have 300% more vitamin E and 74% more selenium in their milk than pigs raised in confinement. In the fall, they’re finished on Turner Farm pumpkins and local apples. Between meals they snack freely on grass, acorns, hackberries, clover, roots and hundreds of pounds of vegetable and fruit scraps from our fields. The bulk of their diet consists of locally grown, freshly ground non-GMO grain we pick up every 1-2 weeks from Bethel Feed & Supply to maintain freshness. They always have access to shade and a wallow. We raise our hogs outdoors, rotating them through paddocks of grass and trees where they can romp around in the sunshine and express their natural behavior. Purchased as 8-week-old feeder pigs from a local breeder, our hogs are mostly Large Black, Old Spot and Chinese Meishan, all heritage breeds renowned for their ability to forage and browse for their own food. Forage like clover lends a sweetness to the meat that mellows out any possible gaminess, and cooking it lower and slower will concentrate the beefy flavor and help keep the meat from drying out. ![]() Given the breed’s preference for pasture, it produces a high-quality cut of grass-fed beef that is lean and flavorful, and exhibits excellent marbling compared to other breeds on a grass-fed diet. He’s a very gentle 2,000-pound giant with an important role to play as we develop our breeding program. In 2019, we added Reuben, an 8-year-old purebred bull registered with Red Devon USA, to our herd. With thicker hides, they can also comfortably handle our region’s cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers. No grain is necessary in their diet, not even in the winter. They’re calm and docile “easy keepers,” meaning they gain weight well grazing on just grass and hay. Red Devon cattle are an ancient English breed that first arrived in the U.S. All of our steers are 100% grass-fed Red Devon, South Poll, or Angus, the first being our main focus. ![]()
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