Our goal at Dominion Valley Farm is to provide our customers with the highest quality chickens, turkeys, pork and beef.

Pastured poultry? Free range poultry? What does it mean? Why is it so different? We don’t hold a patent on some secret way of raising poultry here at Dominion Valley Farm. The answers are simple and yet complex: Simple in that getting back to the basics of the "old fashioned" way really works, complex only because now we know why it works. Let’s begin.

The Chicks, Poults and Ducklings

One-day-old chicks, poults (baby turkeys) and ducklings arrive at 6:30 a.m., ready to go into the brooder. The brooder is prepared beforehand with heat lamps, feeders, a drinker and wood shavings for bedding. The young poultry need to be kept warm and dry for several weeks. The heat lamps keep their area at 90° for one week. Wood shavings keep them warm in addition to keeping them clean and free from parasites normally associated with wire or mesh-type floorings. The young birds receive natural sunlight, which is more effective than artificial light for stimulating their pituitary gland.

At three weeks of age the chicks are fully feathered and ready to go out to pasture or "the range." One of the key things that facilitates this move is having our sons, Caleb, Alek and Micah, climb into the brooder pen and hand us the chicks so they can be placed in a crate. After this we take them to a pen in the pasture.

The poults and ducklings remain in the brooder for up to five weeks, as it takes them longer to fully feather.

The Pen

The chicken pen is a basic structure, 10’ x 12’ x 2’ high. Three-quarters of it is covered on top with metal siding and half of the pen is covered on the sides. The rest has "poultry netting" or "chicken wire." This pen allows plenty of sunlight and fresh air but provides protection from the hot sun, cold winds and driving rain. Being bottomless, the pen provides full access to the pasture for the chickens.

The turkeys and ducks have a little different setup for their pasture experience. Both of these birds are excellent foragers and need more fresh pasture more often. Instead of using a bottomless pen, as with the chickens, the turkeys and ducks are allowed to roam within an area of pasture with a large netted fence around them. They also have pens where they can rest out of the sunshine or the driving winds and rain, and they love to roost on top of the pens. Their netted fencing is moved every 3-7 days, as soon as they have nibbled a good portion of the pasture they are on.

The Pasture

The pasture is a prime example of something that sounds to be and actually is so simple, but the pasture turns out to be quite complex and very much to our advantage! The pastures here at Dominion Valley Farm have been prepared with different types of grasses, alfalfa, red and white clover, and YES, we even welcome the dandelions. Also, this "salad bar," so to speak, provides the natural vitamins and minerals the birds need and in turn provides what you need. The pasture also acts as bedding for the poultry. The chicken pens are moved once a day to provide fresh greens and bedding. Moving the pens daily provides an unbelievable amount of fertilizer for the pasture. Within 7-10 days the pasture rejuvenates to a lush green sward. In three weeks we have to cut it before it gets out of hand. This pen moving process also eliminates the terrible odor associated with poultry farms. The ground and plants are able to take up and assimilate droppings efficiently without burning. All this keeps us happy and our birds happy! This pasture provides the birds with bugs and grubs that add to their already protein-diverse feed ration.

The Feed

You are what you eat.
You get what you pay for.

We never use the term "chicken feed" in terms of money here at Dominion Valley Farm. The birds really like to eat, resulting in a hefty feed bill each month. Corn and soy beans make up a major part of their ration, providing energy and protein. Fish meal provides an additional form of protein, kelp meal for natural vitamins and minerals. In a nut shell, the feed has diverse forms of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals, similar to the pasture, providing a premium balanced diet. We purchase the corn, oats and soybeans from a neighbor, our vitamin and mineral mix from an organic company in Western Wisconsin, and we grind our own feed every few days.

Processing Day

At 9 weeks the chickens are ready to be processed, 18 weeks for the turkeys and 12-14 weeks for the ducks. The meat remains tender at these ages and is higher in protein than factory birds raised for a much shorter amount of time but given growth hormones to speed the rate of gain. Our birds are processed at a state-inspected facility that utilizes the same methods of butchering that we have always used.

Processing day is always an exciting one for us here at Dominion Valley Farm. The day definitely begins before the rooster crows and many long hours are spent loadings the birds, taking them to the processing facility and then supervising the butchering, plucking, cleaning, cooling down and bagging. The fresh birds are then brought back to the farm, weighed, and by 9:00 a.m. the next morning we are ready to greet our customers who drive out to the farm to pick up their fresh poultry. This gives us great satisfaction to meet with our customers and spend time talking with them after many weeks of hard work preparing for this day.

Broad-Breasted White versus Heritage Breed Turkeys

There are a few main differences between the Broad-Breasted White turkeys and the Heritage Breed turkeys, of which we are currently raising the Bourbon Reds.  The Broad-Breasted Whites are a common white turkey.  They are known for their larger breast size and are very tender and juicy.  They have been bred to have this double breast so you will get a lot of white meat.  The Bourbon Reds are considered a "heritage breed," meaning they are one of the original turkeys that were bred in this country.  The Reds have had no special breeding; in other words, science has not altered anything in the breed - they are the same now as they were when the Pilgrims had them on their Thanksgiving tables.  The Reds originated in Kentucky during the 1800s.  The quality stands out in this slow-maturing bird with its flavorful fine meat and great taste.  They have a robust "turkey" flavor.  


Our Products

CHICKENS

The chickens are available for pick-up at the farm the day after processing…very fresh!  Dressed whole chickens come with heart and liver.  We cannot stress enough how well these birds keep in the freezer for months and months, so stock up!  Remember…Frozen chickens are available year round pending availability. 

CHICKEN PARTS!  We offer cut-up chickens, which is a whole bird cut into eight pieces, heart and liver also included.  Many of the dishes prepared with popular "boneless, skinless breasts" can be easily converted to be made with the eight pieces of a cut-up chicken.  We also have bone-in chicken breasts available for sale.  There will be one or two breasts packaged together and will sell for $7.15/lb.  Due to limited quantities, there is not a specific box on the order form, so please write in your request.  Larger quantities of chicken breasts will be available for order after August. 

BIG CHICKENS – Our Biggies, as we call them, will average 5 to 6-1/2 pounds, slightly larger than our regular 4- to 5-pound birds.  The price per pound is the same no matter what size you choose.  You also have the option of a whole or cut-up BIG chicken.  Because the birds take a few weeks longer to raise, we will have only one pick-up date available, noted on order form.  We ask that you order early to ensure availability. 

Our customers are encouraged to pick up their fresh poultry between 9:00 a.m. and noon on the Saturday pick-up date listed.  If you are not available to come out to the farm on that date, please contact us to make other arrangements. 

MUSCOVY DUCKS

The Muscovy is a delicious, less greasy bird, one of the favorite ducks of many of our customers.  The Muscovy will average 6 to 8 pounds, plenty for leftovers or to serve at a gathering.  This season we will offer both whole and half ducks. 

If you haven’t tried duck in the past, this is definitely the one to try!  Don’t worry about how to prepare them – we have enough recipes to cover everyone’s tastes.    

TURKEYS

Turkeys will be available fresh on Saturday, November 20th.  If you will be preparing your bird for Thanksgiving, it will be fresh and may remain in your refrigerator until Thanksgiving Day.  For those of our customers who will be preparing their bird after the holiday (and for those who order more than one turkey to enjoy at other times of the year), we ask that you freeze your bird when you get home and begin to thaw just a few days before preparing . The rule of thumb is to allow one day of thawing time, in the refrigerator, for every 4-5 pounds of bird.  

Remember to order your turkeys early!  If you would like a Dominion Valley Farm turkey to grace your Christmas or Easter table (or any other occasion), please order now, as we process turkeys only once a year.  They will be ready by Thanksgiving, but if you are short on storage space, you are welcome to leave your pre-ordered bird in our freezer until closer to Christmas.  

We are once again raising two breeds of turkeys:  Broad-Breasted Whites and Bourbon Reds.  You may choose from two sizes of Reds (heritage):  The larger weighing in at 12-14 pounds; the smaller closer to 6-8 pounds.  We will have a very limited supply of the heritage turkeys this year so please order early!  (FYI – we sold out of the heritage breed in the first week of August last year!!!)  The Broad-Breasted White turkeys will average 14-22 lbs.  

Smoked turkeys will be available again this year at Thanksgiving.  Cold or hot, smoked turkey is a special treat!