The Unseen Cost of Cheap Chicken

Chicken is a dinnertime staple in the UK, but have you ever stopped to think about how that budget-friendly breast ends up on your plate?  The truth is, the incredibly low price of chicken often comes at a cost – to the bird's welfare, the environment, and even your own health.

Conventional chicken production in the UK prioritises speed over everything else. Chicks are hatched in large incubators and quickly moved to massive sheds with limited space.  These chickens are genetically selected for rapid growth,  often reaching supermarket shelves in just 28-32 days.  That's right, weeks, not months!  This rapid growth puts a strain on their bodies, leaving them with underdeveloped bones and weak muscles, often unable to stand properly and requiring medications to stay alive.

Are You Getting What You Pay For?

This speedy system may keep costs down, theres no denying it's an efficient system, but it raises questions about the quality of the meat.  These young birds haven't had time to develop the denser, more flavourful muscle tissue found in slower-grown chickens. Additionally, research suggests that rapidly grown chickens may have lower levels of beneficial nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

Is there a better way?

Yes there is! Opting for slow-grown, pasture-raised chicken. Our pasture-raised birds are raised in a more natural environment, with access to fresh air, sunshine, and space to roam. We move their portable and floorless shelters to fresh pasture every day, keeping them clean and evenly distributing their manure across the land, in a low enough concentration that the grass can quickly take up the nutrients to grow preventing and leaching. They're fed a nutritious diet that mimics what they would eat in the wild, and allowed to grow at a more natural pace, living for over twice the age of 'cheap' chicken, 3 weeks longer than 'Free-Range' chicken and at least a week older than 'Organic' birds! Why? To produce Chicken that is not only more humane but also boasts a richer flavour and a better nutritional profile.

Sure, slow-grown chicken might cost a bit more, but consider it an investment in your health and taste buds. The meat is denser so you won't need as much and you'll be supporting ethical farming practices, reducing your environmental impact, and treating yourself to a truly superior chicken eating experience.  

Buy our Pasture-Raised Chicken here