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Pastured Poultry |
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What makes Tropical Traditions Pastured Poultry different from other chickens? 1. Tropical Traditions Pastured Poultry are raised outdoors on pasture. Commercially produced chickens are raised entirely indoors with tens of thousands of other chickens in close quarters. They typically never see the sun or pasture. Organic or “Free Range” chickens also have no standard definition or industry guidelines for how long chickens must be outdoors on pasture, leaving the consumer very confused. The USDA definition of “free-range” is rather vague. In order to label their meat and poultry “free-range or free-roaming,” “Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.”(1) No mention of vegetation (pasture) is made. Poultry producers themselves seem to have no common standards on what the term means. Some producers interpret “access to the outside” as a small pop-door (chicken door) on an end-wall of a 100 ft. long shed filled with un-caged birds moving about freely on a litter-covered floor. Others feel they are compliant with the spirit of free-range if their birds are outside in the open air and under the sun; even if their “range” is simply bare dirt. When it comes to the consumer’s perception of “free-range,” arguably the vision that “free-range” most often conjures is of a bird happily hunting and pecking in the grass in an open field. Because of the wholesomeness associated with the term “organic,” many consumers take for granted that all certified organic poultry raised for meat and eggs are raised outside on green pasture. Sadly, this is not so. The term “free-range” is not even listed in the NOP (National Organic Program) “terms defined.”(2) They do give guidelines that say: “All organically raised animals must have access to the outdoors...”(3) So when someone purchases poultry products labeled “free range” or “organic,” the birds may never have actually seen the light of day or green grass its entire life. Technically, they simply have to have a door out of their confinement, but they don’t have to necessarily walk through that door to meet the requirements. To read more about how pastured poultry is different, go here. 2. Tropical Traditions pastured poultry are fed Cocofeed which contains no soy. Cocofeed is an organic chicken-feed ration developed by Tropical Traditions that contains coconut pulp as well as other high-quality natural ingredients. The coconut pulp is the residue left over after coconut oil has been extracted from the coconut meat. Cocofeed contains NO soy. In tropical cultures, coconut has been a traditional ingredient in chicken feed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The coconut pulp residue left over after coconut oil is extracted from the coconut meat is still a common animal feed component today in places where coconuts grow. This coconut pulp is high in fiber and protein. Mechanically extracted coconut pulp was also approved by the FDA as an animal feed and listed in the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication) as early as 1955. While coconut cannot supply ALL the nutritional needs of chickens, there are multitudes of studies that have been done in the Philippines and elsewhere showing how coconut pulp can be a major component of chicken feeds when combined with other quality ingredients. Some of these studies are more than 50 years old. In more recent history, with the development of fast-growing ”broiler” factory chickens, soy has become a key ingredient in chicken feeds for the purpose of supplying a high concentration of protein to promote fast growth. It is very difficult to find a chicken in the US market today that has not been fed high soy-based feeds. Even chickens advertised as “organic” or “free range” are almost always fed an organic mixture high in soybeans.. Independent laboratory tests have shown that Tropical Traditions pastured poultry chickens raised on Cocofeed contain lauric acid, which is also found in coconut oil and human breast milk. To read more about lauric acid and coconut, check out the research here.
3. Tropical Traditions pastured poultry are raised by family farmers. Tropical Traditions Pastured Poultry chickens are all raised by family farmers. These farmers run diversified farms practicing sustainable agriculture. They will rotate tracts of land with crops and other animals, or let it go fallow from time to time. When a batch of chickens is raised on a piece of pasture, typically that pasture will not see chickens again for two or more years. In the interval, crops may be grown in that pasture, or it may go fallow allowing grass to grow, die, and decompose so that the soil is kept in balance and not contaminated from too much chicken manure. So when you buy Tropical Traditions pastured poultry, you are supporting small-scale family farmers and by-passing the system that produces the conventional “factory chicken.”
I just received your pastured poultry. I wanted you to know that the first pastured chicken I cooked last night was beyond a doubt the BEST CHICKEN I have ever eaten. The flavor was outstanding. I put a little coconut oil on the top as it was roasting. The test was in the eating of this product. I didn’t even have to use salt to give it flavor. Beyond a doubt this is one of the best purchases I have made from you. After these chickens are gone, I’ll be ordering more! Vicki - Houston, Texas I roasted one of these chickens myself to see if they meet expectations. Wow! This was the most flavorful, juiciest chicken I have ever had - and in 35 years as a professional chef I have cooked a lot of chickens. I kept it simple - I just seasoned the bird with salt and pepper and rubbed a little olive oil on it. Roasted at 350 for about 2 hours. I rarely rave this much about a product, but these birds deserve my highest praise. Chef James Ehler - Winona, Minnesota Just wanted to let you know that the pastured chickens are delicious! They have great flavor and are more “chickeny” than the grocery store organic ones. I will definitely order again after I’ve eaten all of mine. Jean - Chandler, Arizona
About our Pastured Poultry Orders are shipped Mondays through Wednesday each week.*
Payments Accepted:
Frequently asked questions about Cocofeed and Pastured PoultryWhy do your pastured chickens cost so much compared to other chickens? 1. There is no comparison to chickens raised on pasture and Cocofeed and other commercial chickens. Tropical Traditions spent over a year in research and development in developing Cocofeed, and our poultry research continues. There are no other chickens on the market we are aware of that are raised on a special formula that contains no soy and something like Cocofeed. 2. By purchasing our chickens people are directly supporting the farmers who raise them, rather than a large company that runs vertically integrated farming systems producing cheap food. The independent farmers who raise pastured birds for Tropical Traditions make a fair profit. Unless there is an economic incentive for more people to begin this type of farming, we are left with cheap factory produced chickens because nobody wants to take the time to raise them on pasture. 3. It costs more to purchase this type of a product from the Internet and have it delivered to your home, because of our costs to make this available. These chickens are only raised during the summer months in Wisconsin when they can roam on organic green pastures, and therefore we need to store them in freezers year round to make them available for purchase on the Internet, and then ship them to you in coolers. If you can find a local farmer willing to raise these types of chickens, you can purchase them directly from the farm for less. We encourage you to support your local farmer! Unfortunately, with the escalating cost of real estate, most people wanting to go into farming have to look at rural land far away from most major population centers. Companies like Tropical Traditions are helping to bridge the gap between urban dwellers and healthy farms in remote areas. 4. Everyone has the freedom of choice. If one does not like the high price of properly grown food, they have the choice to move out into the country and to raise it themselves, or contract directly with farmers in your area to grow it to your standards. When the United States was founded, 90% of the population was in agriculture. When Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States, 50% of our population were farmers, and almost everyone was close to fresh farm sources. Today, less than 1% of the population raises our food!! Those unwilling to make the sacrifice to raise their own healthy food, or move out of the city closer to farm sources that can work with you to raise it, should be prepared to pay a premium price to those who do take the time to raise food the correct way if they do not want to purchase factory chickens delivered to your nearby supermarket. Do you sell your Cocofeed? We are not a feed company, and feed sources will vary depending on one’s location in the US. We are working to have some feed mills across the country carry the coconut pulp so that they can mix feeds like this for purchase. Contact us for the latest information regarding places to get Cocofeed. References (1) From the USDA site on meat and poultry labeling: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Meat_&_Poultry_Labeling_Terms/index.asp (2) NOP terms defined: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004445&acct=nopgeninfo (3) From the USDA website on the National Organic Program: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/FactSheets/ProdHandE.html
*Note: Cold storage and frozen items like Pastured Poultry are shipped from a separate location (Minnesota) and have separate shipping charges from non-cold storage items. They are shipped in coolers with dry ice (the ice is used up the time it reaches you most of the time.) Shipping charges depend on weight and zip code, and will be chosen at check out. If you are in a hot location such as the southwestern desert area of the US, you should choose 2nd day air or overnight to be sure your order arrives frozen. Orders are shipped Mondays through Wednesday each week. Due to the nature of the products, perishable food items such as meat, poultry and dairy are not eligible for refund or return. If the shipment is damaged we will replace it.
Apple Chicken Stir-fry Recipe
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