FAQ's And Our Vision
Why Choose Us
Greetings! As a proud owner and operator of Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, I am thrilled to share with you the numerous reasons why choosing our farm for your chicken is a decision you will not regret.
Quality You Can Trust
At Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, we prioritize the quality of our poultry above all else. Our chickens are raised with the utmost care and dedication, ensuring that each bird is healthy, happy, and well-nourished. We believe that the best tasting chicken comes from the best cared-for birds. By maintaining strict standards in our farming practices, we guarantee that the chicken we provide is of the highest quality, flavorful, and nutritious.
Local and Sustainable Farming
Choosing Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch means supporting local agriculture and sustainable farming practices. Our farm is committed to preserving the environment and promoting biodiversity. By buying locally, you reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting food over long distances. This not only benefits the environment but also supports the local economy by keeping your food dollars within the community.
Ethical Treatment of Animals
We take pride in the ethical treatment of our animals. Our chickens are free-range, allowing them to roam and forage in a natural environment. This not only ensures their well-being but also results in better-tasting meat. We avoid the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, opting instead for natural and holistic methods to maintain the health of our flock.
Freshness Guaranteed
When you purchase chicken from Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, you are getting the freshest product possible. Because we are a local farm, there is no need for long transportation times. Our chickens are processed and delivered quickly, ensuring that you receive the freshest, most flavorful meat available. Freshness is key to great taste, and we are committed to providing you with the best.
Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food
One of the greatest benefits of buying from Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch is the connection you have with your food source. All of our products are farm processed, and as the only one that is involved with the processing you can rest assured that your chicken has not been handled by numerous faceless workers. When you know your farmer, you can trust the integrity of the food you are consuming. We are always transparent about our farming practices and are happy to answer any questions you may have. This level of trust and transparency is something you simply cannot get from large, industrial producers.
Community and Family Values
At Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, we are more than just a business; we are a part of the community. We value the relationships we build with our customers and see them as an extension of our farm family. By choosing Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, you are supporting a family-run operation that cares deeply about the quality of its products and the satisfaction of its customers.
Supporting Local Economy
When you buy from Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, you are directly supporting the local economy. Your purchase helps sustain jobs within the community and contributes to the economic health of the region. This local support keeps small farms like ours thriving and ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy locally-sourced, high-quality food.
Health Benefits
Our chickens are raised without the use of harmful chemicals or additives, resulting in a healthier product for you and your family. Studies have shown that free-range, naturally-fed chickens have higher levels of beneficial nutrients compared to conventionally-raised poultry. By choosing Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, you are making a healthy choice that you can feel good about.
In conclusion, choosing Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch for your chicken means choosing quality, sustainability, and community. We are dedicated to providing you with the best possible product while supporting the values that matter most to us. Thank you for considering Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, and we look forward to serving you.
Our Vision
At Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch, our vision is to be a beacon of excellence in sustainable and humane poultry farming. We are committed to the welfare of our animals, ensuring they are raised in a free-range, cage-free environment that allows them to thrive naturally. Our dedication to ethical animal husbandry practices is at the core of everything we do, as we believe that the health and happiness of our animals directly translate to the quality of our products.
We recognize the importance of small-scale farming in preserving the integrity of our food systems and fostering a close-knit community. By maintaining a family-operated farm, we ensure that every aspect of our operation is handled with care, attention, and a personal touch. This approach allows us to produce high-quality, healthy poultry products that our customers can trust and enjoy.
Our commitment to producing premium, nutritious poultry products is unwavering. We raise our chickens with your family’s health in mind, supplementing their diet with local grains and avoiding the use of hormones and antibiotics. All processing is done on-farm, ensuring the highest standards of quality and freshness.
Education is a cornerstone of our mission. We strive to inform and inspire our community about the benefits of sustainable farming practices and the importance of supporting local agriculture.
Crooked Tree Chicken Ranch is dedicated to being a leader in humane, sustainable, and small-scale poultry farming, providing our customers with the highest quality products while promoting a healthier, more informed community.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are your chickens raised?
Our chickens are raised in a free-range environment where they have ample space to move around and engage in natural behaviors. They are barned at night to prevent loss to predators, and the areas that they free range in are enclosed with electrified netting to keep predators out.
What kind of feed do you give your chickens?
We provide our chickens with a high-quality, locally sourced grain from Albrights Mill in Kempton PA. Our feed is free from antibiotics and added hormones.
Do you use any antibiotics or hormones in your chickens?
No, we do not use antibiotics or hormones in our chickens. We believe in raising healthy birds without the use of any type of medication. Since I am a small farm I do not need to use antibiotics to keep my flock healthy. Getting the birds outside and in the fresh air is natures best antibiotic.
How much space do your chickens have to roam?
Each chicken has access to at least 2 square feet of space indoors, and they also have outdoor areas where they can roam freely. They are outside during the day unless the weather is exceptionally bad. We do not feed and water in the barn, so our birds have to go outside if they want to eat.
Is your farm certified organic?
We are not certified organic because we do not buy organic certified feed, but we follow many organic practices to ensure the health and well-being of our chickens.
What breeds of chickens do you raise?
We raise primarily meat birds, the Cornish Cross Hybrid which is the standard in meat bird production. We raise a few layer also which are a variety of heritage breeds known for their robust health and excellent eggs, such as Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks.
How long do the chickens live before they are processed?
Our chickens live for about 12-16 weeks before they are processed, which allows them to develop naturally and ensures high-quality meat. We take longer to raise our meat birds then the average farmer because we do not keep lights on at night in the barn, we want them to rest. We do not add any chemicals to the feed that would induce the feeling of wanting to keep eating (like the chemicals in junk food).
Do you process the chickens on-site?
Yes, we have a small, state-inspected processing facility on-site to ensure that our chickens are handled humanely and processed under strict sanitary conditions.
What measures do you take to ensure the welfare of your chickens?
We provide our chickens with clean water, nutritious feed, and a safe environment. We barn them at night to prevent predator attacks from owls and other night predators. Despite our best efforts we still lose an occasional chicken to Hawks! We also twice daily check on their health and well-being. Any chickens displaying any type of unwell behavior is pulled from the flock and isolated.
How do you ensure the cleanliness and sanitation of your facilities?
We adhere to rigorous cleaning and sanitation protocols, including regular washing and disinfecting of equipment and facilities. We are inspected through the PA Department of Agriculture.
Do you offer tours of your farm?
Yes, we welcome visitors to tour our farm and learn more about our farming practices. Please contact us to schedule a visit.
How do you manage waste on your farm?
We compost chicken manure and use it to fertilize our garden, which helps to maintain soil health and reduce waste.
How can I purchase your chickens or other products?
You can purchase our products directly from our farm, at local farmers’ markets, or through our online store on our website.
What sets your farm apart from larger commercial farms?
We focus on sustainable, humane practices and prioritize the quality of life for our animals. We also provide personalized customer service and a connection to the community.
Can you provide any recipes or cooking tips for your chickens?
Absolutely! We have a selection of recipes and cooking tips on our website, and we’re always happy to share our favorite ways to prepare our chicken.
How does the weather affect your farming practices?
Weather plays a significant role in our farming. We adjust our practices seasonally to ensure the comfort and health of our chickens, such as making sure the chickens have access to shade in the summer and dry, wind free shelter in the winter.
How do you handle diseases or health issues among your chickens?
We monitor our chickens closely for any signs of illness and use natural remedies and preventive measures to maintain their health. If necessary, we would consult with a veterinarian to address any issues. Quite honestly in all the years of raising chickens we have never had any disease issue. That is mostly a problem with larger factory farming set ups.