Subscribe & Save 5% now + get Free Ground Beef with every order over $149 Learn more HERE

Grass-fed Chicken Does not Exist

written by

Dustin Schnabel

posted on

March 2, 2025

broilers-free-range.jpg
Our meat chickens are raised in wide open pastures

"Grass-fed" applies well to ruminants like cows, sheep or goats but for chickens, it's not possible. Chickens simply don't have the digestive capabilities to unlock the nutrients found in grass. They do not have the enzymes and gut microbes to break down cellulose in grass effectively, making grass an inadequate sole source of nutrition.
    Chickens need a diet rich in protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals. Protein is essential for bone and muscle growth as well as egg production and energy (carbohydrate) is necessary for maintaining daily activities.   Because chickens cannot release this from grass, their energy and protein must come from more concentrated sources. 

hens-free-range.jpg
Egg laying hens foraging bugs, seeds and grasses

    Soy and corn are staples in chicken feed for these reasons.  There are alternatives to soy and corn, but these alternatives are rarely used due to their significantly higher costs. For example, quinoa, is a "superfood," source of protein, but it is substantially more expensive than traditional roasted soybeans.  This higher cost will often mean that a dozen "corn-free, soy-free" eggs will be 50% higher (or more).  

    Furthermore, many of the "corn-free, soy-free blends of feed are actually HIGHER in poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).  These are the fats we want to minimize in our diets.  We have tested our feed blend against many of the "corn-free, soy-free" blends only to find that our locally grown feed is lower in PUFA's.  
    Even though our fully free-range pasture system provides our chickens with abundant access to forage, it does not mean they can live on grass alone! 

More from the blog

A Subject in Regenerative Farming Not Discussed

A Subject in Regenerative Farming Not Discussed

There are two struggles in regenerative farming.  One is visible. The other is hidden. The visible struggle is obvious. Small farms like ours compete against companies with enormous marketing budgets, national distribution, investor backing, and public relations teams. A company like Vital Farms has a market capitalization measured in billions of dollars. They buy placement in grocery stores across the country, dominate advertising channels, and repeat carefully crafted messages nationally until they become accepted as truth. For years, terms like "pasture-raised" have been used because chickens were actually being raised in green, abundant pastures.  Corporations like Vital Farms practice something entirely different. These details matter. Definitions matter. Transparency matters. Yet large companies have enormous resources to shape public perception. That is the visible fight. It's the proverbial “David versus Goliath” story everyone recognizes. Vital farms packs 50,000 birds in a barn with some doors open on the sides.  They call it "pasture raised".  They are trading off of the good will created by farms like us who DO IT FOR REAL.  The hidden struggle, however, is far more important. Farming is heavily dependent on debt. Equipment, land, livestock and operation loans.  Production seasons are financed and insured.  Interest and insurance payments become significant cost centers. These payment schedules create a difficult reality - many farms spend a significant portion of their energy servicing financial obligations. Farming becomes less and less about stewarding land and animals and more about generating enough cash flow to satisfy lenders. This pressure, without doubt,  changes behavior. It changes the way decisions are made and what priorities are highest. When debt becomes large enough, nearly everything becomes secondary to the repayment schedule. Erin and I recognized this hard reality early on. We decided that if we were serious about building a truly regenerative farm, it needed to be a financially regenerative farm as well. That meant refusing to finance our operations. No investors. No shareholders. No operating loans. No one sits at a table across from us explaining why we should relax our standards to improve profitability or efficiency. It has taken us three years to finish this structure without debt. We planned to construct the bare necessities first, then we prioritized the biggest needs as money became available.  It is now fully functioning with ZERO debt.  If we have a slow season, we simply slow down rather than cutting corners to pay loans To be clear - this decision has never been easy.  Every year, peak production season is May through October, and we barely scrape by.  We’ve nearly lost everything – several times.    In many obvious ways, it has made our journey significantly harder. Growth is slower when you don't borrow your way forward. Infrastructure takes longer to build. New projects take patience. Expansion happens only when the resources actually exist. But there is a tradeoff that we found to be worth everything. Freedom. Freedom to tell the truth. Freedom to make decisions that align with our mission rather than someone else's financial model. Freedom to reject shortcuts. Freedom to say no. Investing in soil biology, grazing systems, animal welfare, local processing, and employees in alignment with our mission takes years. We remain free to serve the people who matter most. Our patrons. That is our secret weapon. Not marketing. Not venture capital. Not investor funding. Our patrons. Our relationship with our patrons remains rock solid because they provide the financial freedom for us to pursue our mission without distraction. Every food dollar entrusted to our care directly funds the farm itself.  Food money pays to keep our mission going and growing, not servicing debt.  Our patrons have become our shareholders. They may not own a piece of the business, but they make the business possible.  Their support allows us to remain financially independent.  We realized a valuable truth early --   the relationship between our farm and our patrons forms the symbiotic financial backbone of truly regenerative farming. As we invest in better stewardship, our patrons receive better food. As our patrons continued supporting the farm, we can invest in the resources to become better stewards. We strengthen one another. The cycle continues.  It’s regenerative finance serving regenerative farming. This relationship has created something highly resilient.  A farm that answers to no investors. No shareholders. No bankers.  We are free to serve our mission and the One who has called us forward into discovering the riches of a food production design centered on healing rather than exploitation. A special thank you to all of our patrons who make this possible. ❤️🙏 Dustin and Erin

Read more
Bigger Than Growth

Bigger Than Growth

We could make a living if the farm was a fraction of its current size. We are not chasing growth for growth’s sake. We are not trying to become a national brand. We are not looking for outside investors. We are not building this business so that one day....

Read more
The Foundation of Regenerative Farming

The Foundation of Regenerative Farming

Every characteristic that makes food desirable—flavor, aroma, texture, color, and nutrition—begins with sunlight. Plants are nature’s solar collectors. Through photosynthesis, they convert solar energy into sugars, proteins, fats, antioxidants, and countless other compounds that ultimately become the building blocks of every grazing animal on earth.

Read more
Return To Top
Privacy Policy