Chickens that are free to roam and live their lives
Some things can’t be rushed, and poultry should be one of those things. With a higher nutritional value and superior taste and texture, Grassland Poultry produces chicken that have lived well, with freedom to roam and graze and forage.
It’s the closest you can get to back to basics, all natural poultry that have grown and lived the way that nature intended.
Putting unethical practices to bed
Allow us to get real for a moment, though what you read might not necessarily be pleasant. Big poultry producers can produce table birds, ready to sell, in just five weeks. Of course, to do that you need to engage every tool modern technology can offer a commercial enterprise. You need to tweak genetics to create super fast growing chickens, employ pharmaceutical science to fight diseases, and balance the fine line between free range and high density farming. Sound unpleasant? That’s because it is.
Grassland Poultry is a step back to older times, before high demand for chickens, before big pharma and big ‘farm-a’. They produce slow-grown, pasture-raised chickens that have lived with freedom to roam, a strong connection to the land, and the patience to let nature do its thing. Their heritage breed chickens have a slower optimum growth rate and will naturally forage for their own foods, seeking out that which they’re drawn to and rejecting that which they’re not.
Everything they do at Grassland Poultry is so far removed from the way most free range chickens are raised, and you’ll notice the differences immediately. The result is happier, healthier birds, a more holistic system, and chicken that tastes the way nature intended.
Chickens that are free to roam and live their lives
Grassland Poultry is run by a husband-and-wife team, Bryan and Kim Kiss, who own a 1,500 hectare property called Meramie, nestled in the foothills of the Central West Slopes and Plains of New South Wales. At an altitude of 540-650 metres, the property enjoys a mild climate of cool to cold winters and moderate summers with an average rainfall of 650mm. The land is gently undulating, rising from creek flats to lower slope grazing and grazing ridges with outcrops of granite. And it’s packed with chickens that are free to roam and forage as they see fit.
There’s no need to calculate square metres per bird when you move your birds to new pastures regularly, just as a flock would move naturally if they weren’t confined in the way that they are on most farms. The chickens at Grassland Poultry forage to their heart’s content, seeking out seeds, insects, greens, and microorganisms they need for their optimum health. Having continuous access to this type of vegetation significantly lifts the vitamin A and E, carotenoids, good fats, and omega3 fatty acids found in the chickens.
Great care takes care of itself
It all starts with sustiable, regenerative farming practices. The best produce comes from the best environment: one that is regenerated, nourished, and sustainably farmed. The permanent, natural pastures at Meramie support the premium grass-fed poultry, which in turn supports the land. It’s all about back to basics genetics, a regenerative approach, sustainable farming practices, and minimal interference. Great care takes care of itself when animal welfare and sustainable farming are the priority.
Brain and Kim prioritise the integrity of the bird, letting them forage and giving them the freedom to choose what they might like to eat – cos ultimately, they know what’s best for them. It’s about producing humane, optimum conditions for living, giving the birds access to pastures and roosting shelters at all times. With all that done, great taste is the easiest thing to achieve.
Healthy farm, healthy chickens, healthy you
The couple continue to educate themselves in the industry and expand their knowledge of agricultural practices, knowing that a healthy environment lends itself to healthy poultry. Their property vision at Meramie is to maintain an environmentally friendly and productive farm with healthy perennial pastures. The couple works to achieve this vision by having a holistic approach to the management of their resources.
Brain and Kim follow a low input philosophy that involves synergistic projects that benefit each other and the land. They ensure that valuable rain is absorbed into the ground, where it can filter through catchment areas. Their grazing animals are constantly nourishing the soil with leaf litter and organic matter, and their chickens are able to naturally avoid many common ailments and health issues by growing in the healthiest way on the healthiest property possible.
The trees and wooded areas of Meramie provide the animals with shade and shelter, and benefit the soil with different nutrients. The land benefits because it’s farmed in a sustainable way, and the poultry benefits because it’s free to roam, graze, forage, and be happy. And of course, you benefit, because that natural health and vigor is what makes for the best tasting and healthiest produce available, just as nature intended.
The aim at Grassland Poultry is to be even better than just organic and to have a balanced, active connection to everything that they do. When you buy Grassland Poultry you’re supporting ethical growing and sustainable regenerative farming in Australia. Your chicken has lived well, foraged, followed its natural instincts, grew at its own natural pace, and was processed without chemicals or stress on the farm. It’s filled with nutritious goodness that can only come from healthy nurtured farmland and fastidious dedication to animal welfare.
Read about some of the exclusive & most passionate producers in Australia in CHEFIN’s team deep dive into New South Wale’s best producers.