Pastured Chicken: Why it's hard to find

Why is pasture raised chicken so hard to find?

I hadn't ever really considered this. The person asking said they can pretty easily find grass-fed beef in the grocery store, but never alternatives to conventionally raised chicken. The reason grass fed beef is easier to find is a discussion for another day (75-80% of it is imported from Australia/New Zealand), BUT the question about chicken is valid. Here are some reasons:

Pasture raised chicken is not a year round affair in most parts of the northern hemisphere. It is seasonal, so only so much can be produced in that amount of growing time. Requirements for pasture raised birds are land and structures in contrast to a massive broiler house that can hold 20,000 birds at a time in the conventional world. In addition to land and structures, birds on pasture require much more labor and time. Chicks first are cared for in a brooder. Once on pasture, houses need to be moved daily and most of the land they are on seeded, irrigated, and cared for, birds fed and watered, and when it's time to harvest, each of them are hand selected and packed into crates. A final factor is the lack of small poultry processors. If you've read my discussions before, you know that the poultry industry in America is controlled by basically four, mega companies that own the bird from hatch day to harvest day. Their economy of scale in poultry processing is something little guys can't even touch. All of this leads to one other barrier to pasture raised chicken, and that is cost. All these things add cost, much more than what Tyson Foods can do it for. So, thank you for choosing our pasture raised chickens, against the norm!