Best Life Chickens

This appeared in the May 28, 2020 edition of The Fish Wrap

Pasture-raised, farm-fresh, free-range, organic - there are lots of ways to describe eggs, but it all comes down to the quality of life for the chickens. Our 240 hens live in a large paddock that gets moved to fresh pasture every day. The paddock contains an egg mobile where they lay eggs in nest boxes during the day and roost in at night. Correction, only a few chickens have gotten the hang of the nest boxes and the rest of them lay eggs in the grass. Every day is an Easter Egg Hunt on RLF!

Whatever we call it, our eggs are produced by chickens living their best life. The paddock provides many square feet for each to consume their feed, grass, bugs, worms, tics and anything else they find in the grass. Chickens are omnivores and their instincts guide them to what kind of food is most beneficial to them.

Giving chickens the freedom to choose their diet makes the best eggs too! Pasture-raised hens who are able to eat a variety of foods have been found to produce twice as much omega-3 fat (the good kind), three times more vitamin D (important for immunity), four times more vitamin E (an antioxidant) and seven times more beta-carotene (also an antioxidant important in immunity. Plus they have strong shells and the most beautiful, golden yolks!

If you drive by RLF regularly, you will see the egg mobile and the flock in a different spot every day. It’s important to us to make sure the chickens are living their best life because it improves the nutrition of the eggs we eat and share with our customers. They also improve the quality of the soil, water and air we all share. Most importantly, living with 240 happy beings is infectious. Come get happy!