Always Somethin' Farm | Happy Healthy Animals

Our chickens and turkeys are raised on pasture They receive plenty of sunshine and have ample opportunity to eat bugs, seeds, and fresh vegetation. We also provide them with a custom made ration that contains no animal byproducts, growth hormones, or antibiotics.

We have changed our rearing practices over the years. Chickens and turkeys used to be raised in pens that were moved everyday to a new location. We now use portable hoop houses surrounded by electric poultry netting for chickens. Our turkeys are housed in a more permanent structure that is open to the pasture so that they can come and go as they please. These housing changes give the birds more room to range, reduce pasture compaction, spread manure over a wider range, and create a valuable addition to the compost pile in the form of bedding.

All poultry intended for meat are processed on the farm. This reduces animal stress and results in more tender meat.

This year we have 6 broody hens on nests, so we can expect lots of turkey poults. So far one nest has hatched, and we have 6 poults under a week old. This year we will be selling the young turkeys, for $10 each. We do have several available now, email us if you are interested.

Midget White Turkeys

Above is a picture of one of our toms, Gollum and his two hens, Bubbles and Sparkles

The turkeys that we raise are Midget Whites. Dr. J. Robert Smythe developed this variety in the early 1960s in anticipation of demand for a smaller turkey. This demand never materialized and today the Midget White turkey is on the ALBC’s critical list for becoming extinct. We chose to raise this variety to help prevent extinction and to have smaller turkeys that we can eat throughout the year without having a refrigerator full of leftovers.

This is a picture of some young turkeys in the brooder.
Right now we have two different genetic lines so that we never inbreed.

Midget Whites are very hardy, naturally curious, and can fly when young (we have seen them on the ridge of our barn). The toms can naturally reproduce with the hens, and the expecting mothers are very broody. We really enjoy raising these birds, and they taste great. After initial brooding, our Midget Whites have free access to pasture and a custom ration. They are processed after five to six months – just in time for the holiday season. Hens typically dress between 6 and 10 pounds, while the toms dress between 9 and 12 pounds.

This is one of our pasture pens with some young turkeys.

Midgets roosting on fence.

Delaware Chickens

We raise chickens for meat and eggs. Our primary meat bird is the Cornish Rock cross, usually a hybrid of the White Cornish and Plymouth White Rock chickens. These birds are amazingly efficient at converting feed to meat, and typically reach a dressed weight of 4 pounds by eight weeks of age. When raised on pasture with a suitable ration and processed at the appropriate age, these birds taste great and provide plenty of meat for the table.

We also raise Delaware chickens. George Ellis developed these birds, originally called “Indian Rivers,” in 1940. They are a cross of Barred Plymouth Rock roosters and New Hampshire hens. Today they are on the ALBC’s critical list for becoming extinct. Delaware’s are a dual-purpose breed that provide nice brown eggs and are delicious roasted. These chickens take longer to reach table weight than the Cornish , about 4 to 5 months on our farm. They are, however, better foragers and get more of their food from bugs, seeds, and green vegetation.