Have you tried Harvestland meats?

[chubbs]

HARVESTLAND® Purely All-Natural Chicken
I seen this brand at local stores.They get soldout pretty quick.I would like to know how the taste differs from other brands.I usually get tyson frozen skinless breast all natural.It's about $10 for 4lb bags.Harvest land is same price,but for 2.25lbs.Is it really worth the money?

 

[Debbie Hasbrouck]

Some of the best

Yes, my husband and I have tried their whole chickens, as well as the breast and thighs. We both thought it was well worth the extra price per pound as the birds were cleaner ( less feathers and scaring on the skin due to, the scalder water being to hot). I guess the real reason we tried them, as when they first came out, they were the competition to my husband's then employer who was a poultry processor. And they are considered high end, yet in all honesty the Harvest was so much better poultry compared to that where he worked, and we quit buying their's and have stuck with the Harvest. Their is one in the roaster now, along with some veggies for dinner. I would give them a five star rating.

 

[CWS4322]

I haven't tried it, but I did go the the web site. The one thing that struck me as odd was that although the web site states the chickens are raised humanely and not caged, none of the families featured showed any pics of their chickens or the set up for them. I suspect they are kept in a large barn (or two or three), just not caged.

 

[Andy M.]

I haven't tried it, but I did go the the web site. The one thing that struck me as odd was that although the web site states the chickens are raised humanely and not caged, none of the families featured showed any pics of their chickens or the set up for them. I suspect they are kept in a large barn (or two or three), just not caged.

If you go to the Our Stories page and click on the Family Farmers tab you can see three pictures each of a dozen or so farms. Some show rows of metal buildings that are probably used to house livestock.

 

[CWS4322]

I saw those, but no inside shots.......a local puppy mill had buildings like that...over 500 dogs were housed in those buildings in cages...and, I know how much chickens poo...I imagine the flooring would be wire and the waste would be collected from there.

When I think "family farm," I think of my friend who has a flock of about 60 birds that free-range and are in four large coops at night. The families who are the Harvest families probably are inc'd and farming is big business for them. (She's in Rochester if any of you in the Cities want a source of free-range chicken, turkey, or ducks. I can PM her contact info to you). She's added a fish pond, but that is probably next year re: when she'll have fish. She's debating re: catfish or talapia.

 

[chubbs]

I might buy a bag next week.It's to hard finding pure grass fed chicken meat.Harvestland feeds them whole grains and corn,with no animal by-products, fats or proteins.From what information I can find,chickens can't survive on a 100% grass diet.Eventually they will die from nutrient deficiencies.But cows can?I hear about grass fed beef all the time,but not chicken turkey etc.

 

[CWS4322]

I might buy a bag next week.It's to hard finding pure grass fed chicken meat.Harvestland feeds them whole grains and corn,with no animal by-products, fats or proteins.From what information I can find,chickens can't survive on a 100% grass diet.Eventually they will die from nutrient deficiencies.But cows can?I hear about grass fed beef all the time,but not chicken turkey etc.

Chickens like variety! They need calcium to produce more eggs, so they will eat ground up egg shells. Mine LOVE earthworms, bugs, grubs. They eat grass, corn (that's what makes their yolks so orange-yellow), and organic feed. I don't think chickens would like just eating grass. Lately, mine have really been enjoying dandelions (and bits of cheese....). The only animal-by product they get is left over meat...which isn't really a by-product. They are omnivores. Mine eat meat, pasta, and veggie matter.