So Many Questions

Knowing what's in your food, how it was raised, processed, stored, and shipped are all pieces of knowing what you are feeding your body with. So with that said, we want to provide you with as much information as possible. We decided to break the questions up by the type of protein in hopes of keeping things a bit easier to organize.

Raising Chickens

Between the right heat, right feed for their age, room to move, fresh air but protection from the elements and predators, we've learned so much about raising these small animals into a healthy, nutritious, and delicious food for people.

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Let's talk about Chickens!

What makes Farm Chicken so Special?

The beauty of slowly raised farm chickens in the density of the meat. The chickens raised at Evergreen Alley have spent plenty of time running around, foraging, eating, sleeping on roosts, and just being chickens. They are fully grown and fully developed at butcher time and as such have large muscular bodies and healthy bones. They are perfect for a long slow cooking and don't dry out. We like to laugh and claim they are busy person friendly, so when you forget the chicken is still in the oven and it's a bit "overdone" it's actually quite perfect.

What are your chickens fed?

The livestock at Evergreen Alley are fed a combination of feeds depending on the stage of growth. Chickens are fed special feed for chicks and electrolytes until they are 3 weeks old, then they move onto a grain and supplement mix. This is not a certified organic feed however we do our best to source clean feeds with little to no chemicals used in their production.

We do add a protein supplement to help make sure they are growing well, developing their muscles well, and getting all the nutrients they could need.

Are your Chickens Organic?

Unfortunately not. Since we feed them a mineral supplement to ensure they get everything they need to stay healthy as well as source our grains from nearby farmers we cannot ensure that those are all organic at this time. They are not fed a commercial feed blend, instead we grind the grains ourselves and Brian has worked very hard to figure out the best ration for their growth and health.

We are really happy that our chickens are still active and very mobile at butcher time. They do not have large fat deposits in their bodies and the meats are well developed.

Why aren't your chickens on pasture?

We would LOVE to be able to have the chickens on pasture, and this is something that we will try to develop in the future.

There are a couple factors we need to figure out for pastured chickens.

  • Our pastures are currently too far from home to easily monitor water systems in the very hot summer days and to move the chicken tractors easily.
  • Our guardian dogs are accustomed the the home yard, the nearest pasture would be across the highway and we are concerned if the dogs tried to come home there would be a very sad accident.
  • Our chickens live in large runs in the evergreen shelterbelts of the main yard. They have done a great job of cleaning up the undergrowth and knocking down some wild hedging. We have quite a bit more shelterbelt they could tackle while in the shade of the large trees.

What medications are the chickens given?

The baby chicks are all given electrolytes when they arrive from the hatchery to ensure they drink as much as possible. Other than that they are not medicated. Any chicken that is sick or injured is removed from the group into a brooder box to rest and recover.

What kind of chickens are they?

We use a Cornish Cross Giant for our meat birds. It is a breed developed for rapid growth and large muscles. We don't feed the commercial feed so we do give them time to grow a bit slower so they develop enough bones and leg strength to carry their heavy bodies around.

Is cooking farm chickens different than store bought?

Yes definitely. We find they are much more forgiving as the meats don't dry out in the process. For recipes the meat doesn't shrink up while cooking either. We do find that the dark meats sometimes need a longer cook to help breakdown the tendinous parts. Long slow roasting or stewing these is especially yummy. You can find some recipes we've tried over on our Evergreen Alley Meals Pinterest page.

Raising Pigs

Baby piggies might just be one of our favourite animals to raise. They are entertaining, and such happy little oinkers, until you want to catch one that is!

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Let's Talk about Pigs!

Is Pork good for you?

Yes! Pork typically contains higher levels of Thiamine, Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin B's, Phosphorous, Iron, and is a great source of protein. We have been working on how we feed our pigs for the optimal meat quality. We find that slower growth and with lots of outdoor activity to build muscle and not just put on fat.Β 

What are the pigs fed?

The pigs spend their time outside, with their mom's for the first 3 weeks. Then they are fed a mixture of grains and supplement and kitchen scraps (their favourite!).Β We don't feed any fast growing pre-made feeds so our pork isn't greasy and doesn't have a funny smell.

Are the pigs on pasture?

Not at this time, our pastures are not connected to the home yard so too far for the guardian dogs. Our pigs get large areas to run and play in. They get large mud pits to play in, shelter from the sun, and all the kitchen scraps they can handle.

Pork tends takes on the taste of it's environment. The pigs we raise are outdoors and in fresh air all the time and that is reflected in the flavour of the meat.

Are the smoked items pre-cooked?

No they are not. The hams, smoked farmer's sausages, smokies and bacon are all cured but not cooked.

What type of pigs do you raise?

Brian has experimented with quite a few breeds at this point, and each have features to benefit from. The sows we have are a mix of breeds as Brian was looking for hardiness to live outdoors, moderate fat, heavily muscled, mothering instincts, and mild temperament.

Raising Beef

Raising quality beef is definitely the longest process on the farm. We started building our herd in 2021 and are really loving the change in the environment by incorporating cattle.

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Let's Talk about Beef!

What are your animals fed?

The cattle spend as much time on pasture as we can in the favourable seasons, then hay and cover crop bales in the winter. For the final 60 days they are fed a bit more grain with their forages, this helps give that marbling in the meat without the superficial fat.Β 

Is beef good for you?

Beef is one of the most nutrient dense food sources you can acquire. Rich in protein, vitamin B's, iron, and zinc it has provided nutrients and energy for people for generations. It is loaded with CLA and healthy fatty acids, all necessary for good human health and function. We want to feed our kids the most nutrients possible and we know you do too.

Birth to BBQ, we've raised it and know it.

We have raised all of the beef animals butchered here at Evergreen Alley Farms. We sourced our animals from local producers, raise them in local pastures, and butcher them locally as well. They've gotten nicknames, we know which one likes to sneak out of the fence (we're talking to you #103), and we know who has been medicated or not. As such, we know which we sell for meat in our direct sales lines and which we don't.

Is this Grass-finished beef?

"Finishing" is a term commonly used for the last stage of feeding an animal in such a way that they gain fat. The animal is not growing muscles or bones at this point, they are just putting fat on a beef animal for the months prior to butchering.

About 4-6 weeks prior to butchering we bring the animals into the farm yard. They are given a small amount of grain daily. We find they are much less stressed at butcher time as they are accustomed to people being around them daily. This translates into a much nicer meat quality without risking the high omega 6's and 9's that come with grain based diets.

So as such, we cannot claim to be grass finished, though since the grain makes up less than 10% of their diet we can say they are primarily forage-fed/grass-fed.

Do you carry Grass fed tallow?

This is a very popular request it seems! Tallow is the name of the fat that comes off a beef animal, and since animals raised primarily on forages carry very little fat, we have a little but not a lot for sale. As such, you will find the beef fat we have available under Beef Fat for Tallow. Keep in mind that forage fed animals gain very little to no fats.

Is your beef Organic?

Unfortunately not. They are fed their choice of three supplement mixes, and the grain comes from a nearby farm. We are working towards a regenerative ag model and are very excitd to see what that does for human health, soil health, and