Get to Know
Our Animals
Cows
Our cows are raised in a comfortable barn with a very large pasture that they can freely use consisting of ponds, wooded areas, green grasses, and even a tunnel that they pass through. Our cows are fed quality hay made and stored by us. Luckily the cows are accompanied by a donkey named Niña. Donkeys are good protectors of herds and help keep them in order.​
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Pigs
Our pigs are raised in a very large outdoor pen with a natural wallow, plenty of fresh water, and locally grown and made feed made with corn, soy, and minerals. The pigs can choose to be in the sun or the shade and have cover for when the weather is bad. Our pigs love to run around and chase the basketballs we have put in there for them. We give the pigs fresh tree branches, green grasses, and plenty of hay to mill through.​
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Chickens
If you are not familiar with the term “Pasture-Raised Chicken”, it applies to the practice of raising chickens in an outdoor environment where they get daily exposure to fresh grasses and legumes, and a steady supply of protein rich insects. These natural foods supplement a diet of 16% protein from corn, soy and minerals with zero antibiotics added due to the naturally healthy environment from living outdoors.
Studies have shown that pasture-raised chicken are by far healthier for you and better tasting than birds raised in confined facilities where they live in cramped quarters and never see sun light, breath fresh air or taste a blade of grass. Pasture-raised poultry have higher levels of vitamins, less saturated fats and higher levels of polyunsaturated fats that our bodies need for healthy cell growth. There are many web sites that espouse the nutritional value and health benefits realized from eating pasture raised chicken.
At PLANKTON FARMS, we buy our chicks from Freedom Ranger Hatchery in Reinholds, Pennsylvania. The new-born chicks spend their first four weeks in a brooder house until their feathers emerge and they are capable of living outdoors. Our outdoor pens (also called “Chicken Tractors”) have open floors with 100% screened walls and a covered roof to protect the chicks from predators and the weather. We move our Chicken Tractors onto fresh grass daily and you should see how excited our birds get when the “new floor” of grass arrives.
You can find out more on how to order your pasture raised chicken at our web site under
We offer whole birds that are excellent for slow roasting and smoking, (slow cooking pasture-raised chicken is best). We also offer legs, thighs, wings, and boneless breasts, along with a “Stock Bag” of chicken parts that makes the best tasting chicken broth you’ve ever had. One of the secrets of the stock bag is that it includes the thoroughly cleaned head and feet which contain many vitamins, proteins and amino acids that impart rich flavors. Once you’ve created the stock broth, simply discard the unwanted parts and enjoy.