Our Chicken

The Primal Pastures Difference: Truly Pasture-Raised Poultry Since 2012

Our pasture-raised chicken program has been the cornerstone of Primal Pastures since 2012, and it's something we take tremendous pride in. Whether you're looking for the most nutrient-dense organic eggs or the cleanest pasture-raised meat birds, our standards remain unwavering across both programs.

What Makes Our Pasture-Raised Chicken Truly Different

Genuinely Pasture-Raised - Not Just "Access" to Pasture

For us at Primal Pastures, pasture-raised means constant movement to fresh pasture, not just the industry's minimal "access to the outdoors." All of our coops are fully mobile, giving our chickens unlimited access to fresh grasses, bugs, worms, flowers, and weeds daily. This continuous rotation is essential for both the birds' health and the regeneration of our land.

100% Corn-Free and Soy-Free Organic Feed

We've never compromised on our feed standards for our egg layers or meat birds. While corn and soybeans represent more than 99.9% of American chicken feed by volume, we've taken a different path. Primal Pastures is one of the only (if not the only) poultry companies with a 100% commitment to organic, corn-free and soy-free chicken feed. Our current feed formulation even replaces inflammatory seed oils with olive oil, creating what we believe is the cleanest chicken feed available anywhere.

No Vaccines, Antibiotics, or Medications - Ever

This standard is extremely rare in the poultry industry, representing less than 0.001% of chickens available in the United States. While conventional and even most "organic" operations routinely use vaccines like Marek's, Newcastle, Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious Bursal, and Fowl Pox, we've chosen a different approach.

The vast majority of antibiotics in America are used on livestock, but we believe there's a better way. By raising chickens outdoors on fresh pasture, with a clean soy-free and corn-free diet, plenty of sunshine, and clean well water, we've eliminated the need for synthetic inputs or medical interventions.

Our Pasture-Raised Egg Program

Our laying hens thrive on our 30-acre Regenerative Organic U-Pick farm in Murrieta, California. These hard-working birds serve multiple functions - they organically fertilize our fields while providing natural pest management across the farm. Our legendary pasture-raised, soy-free, vaccine-free eggs are currently available for farm pickup only  for farm members.

Our Pasture-Raised Meat Bird Program

While we raised meat birds on our home farms for seven years, zoning and processing challenges led us to partner with Joe Koopsen of Joe's Farm in Michigan. Like all of our suppliers, we maintain a close relationship and we visit Joe's operation yearly to ensure our standards are maintained.

A Visit to Joe's Farm: Continuing Our Pasture-Raised, Soy-Free, Vaccine-Free Standards

Joe's Farm is a bitter-sweet story for me - bitter because Primal had to entrust someone else to raise our flagship product, but sweet because we found Farmer Joe, a man of integrity and an exceptionally hard worker. Like most developments at Primal Pastures, the hand of God guided us to Joe Koopsen and Joe's Farm.

I first met Joe at our yearly visit to APPPA (American Pastured Poultry Producers Association). My initial thought was, 'Who is this kid? He doesn't even look old enough to have a farming operation.' Joe shared how he started as a first-generation farmer at just 15 years old, selling pasture-raised chicken to friends and family, eventually supplying a local hospital, and finally breaking into the pasture-raised egg business.

Months later, when we learned the land we'd been farming for six years was being sold, I found myself getting off a plane at 12:30 am in Michigan. Farmer Joe was there to drive us two and a half hours to his farm, typical of these hidden-gem regenerative farms being far from major airports.

We woke to a picturesque setting: tall green trees lining pastures, a classic red barn, a farmhouse straight from a painting, and clear blue skies. Joe gave us a tour beginning with the brooder that housed thousands of our unvaccinated chicks kept warm by propane heaters and watered by a nipple line connected to their well.

The feed was remarkable - with no soy or corn. Today, our feed has evolved even further to be soy-free, corn-free, and low in PUFAs, substituting inflammatory seed oils with olive oil. It's literally the cleanest feed on the market, exclusively used by Primal Pastures!

We drove down a narrow road that opened to a ten-acre parcel where four Mobile Range Coops (MRCs) were spread across vibrant green pasture housing Primal Pastures chickens. Joe pulled the coops with his John Deere tractor - a daily ritual that ensures fresh pasture. The number of grasshoppers jumping was unreal - a feast of natural protein for our birds. 

We spent time observing the land regeneration taking place through the Salatin-style method of raising birds. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing rich new blades of grass emerge after the chickens have fertilized an area.

Joe also showed us his layer operation, cattle herd, and special spots around the farm, including an original barn from the early 1900s where they host weddings and a large hill where they create a huge water slide for children in summer.

Over lunch under shady trees, we discussed future possibilities, including raising corn-free, soy-free organic turkeys - something considered impossible by industry standards due to turkeys needing complete proteins from soy during early development. If you've followed our journey, you know this conversation bore fruit when we successfully raised our first flock of truly soy-free turkeys in 2022 

Beyond Joe's impressive knowledge as a young, first-generation farmer, his integrity means everything to us at Primal Pastures. Being hundreds of miles from our operation, it would be easy to cut corners - ordering vaccinated chicks instead of unvaccinated ones, using conventional feed, or skipping the daily coop moves. This is why we always say: know your farmer, trust your farmer, and find someone with integrity and a good heart - like Farmer Joe!

-Chef Austin