Does Pasture Raised Chicken Mean Grass Fed?

I’m often asked whether our chickens are grass fed. It’s a fair question — after all, the labels on meat can be confusing. Here’s what “pasture raised” really means, and why we do things the way we do.

I put a question out on social media a while ago to ask if people thought chickens could be grass fed. The short answer is no.

The long answer is that it depends on the animal — and the farmer.

It’s getting harder to understand the buzzwords around food; there’s so much competition to be the 'greenest' or most eco-friendly. This creates unrealistic expectations about how food is produced. Of course, raising livestock with as few outside inputs as possible is the way forward — however, that can’t and shouldn’t come at the expense of animal health, nor be used to hoodwink consumers.

Here at Spindle Wood Farm, our chickens have daily access to fresh pasture, but they’re also given ad-lib organic grain-based feed. Chickens are omnivores: they eat vegetation, insects, and seeds, and they also need minerals to stay healthy. The organic feed we provide contains a range of grains, pulses, and minerals, and it’s high in protein to help them grow strong and healthy.

There are also conversations around soy-free animal feed. Of course, we shouldn’t be feeding our animals grain grown on land that has been deforested. Most organic soy is grown on the prairies of Canada and the United States — not in South America on ex-rainforest land. At present, soy is the most efficient protein source we can feed our chickens.

When it comes to environmental impact, we’ve chosen to feed our chickens a grain-based ration that is efficient (it uses less land to produce the same amount of protein as alternative sources). It’s grown on non-deforested land and produced organically, so we’re supporting a chemical-free food chain — not just here on our farm, but all the way back to where the grain is grown. Our impact is not only local but also global, through the entire chain of how the chicken is produced.

Pasture raised isn’t just about what the animal eats — it’s also about how and where it lives. Pasture raised chickens actually live on pasture. Their mobile shelters have no floor, so their bedding is the pasture itself. Once the chicks are feathered up and head outside, there’s no artificial heating or lighting, and the birds have constant access to the outdoors, with protection from the weather and predators.

In contrast, commercial organic or free-range systems usually keep chickens in static sheds bedded with straw, housing hundreds or even thousands of birds. These sheds have small pop-holes for “outdoor access”, but many chickens never venture out — they have everything they need inside. Even when some do, the grass near the shed quickly gets eaten and doesn’t regrow during their short lives. Since the sheds don’t move, the birds rarely experience fresh pasture again.

So when we say pasture raised, we mean chickens that truly live on pasture — not just with access to it. They get a fresh patch of grass every day, plenty of space to forage in the fresh pasture, and a clean, healthy environment that moves with them.

At Spindle Wood Farm, we believe that raising chickens on pasture is better for the birds, the land, and the people who eat them. Moving them to fresh grass every day keeps them healthy and active, helps build fertile soil, and produces flavourful, nutrient-rich meat.