This video is a brief look at the beginning of our ducks’ nighttime routine here on the homestead. After we call “duck, duck, duck!” they come running back to their nighttime space to wait for their evening meal. We just added fresh bedding (consisting of leaves) before this video was filmed, and since ducks are hunters at heart, you can see them searching through the bedding in case any bugs are hiding.
Check out the video below!
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Everyone knows that poultry labeled as free range is better than poultry that isn’t, right?
Sadly, you might have to think again!
According to the USDA website, which controls and manages food safety and food labeling, all that is required of producers who raise meat labeled as “free range” or “free roaming” is that they must “demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.”
So what does this really mean? It means that producers can raise their birds with less than 1 square foot of space each, they can raise them on a concrete floor, under fluorescent lighting, living on layers of their own poop, as long as they have “access to the outside.” Access to the outside can mean a small door that leads to a parking lot, a fenced in concrete slab, or a lovely pasture. You can see the problem here…
Free range or organic doesn’t actually say anything about how humanely the birds are raised, or whether or not they actually ever go outside and enjoy the sunshine, grass, and bugs.
This is a “porch” in a commercial poultry operation that counts as “access to the outside.” Image from cornucopia.com.
Your best bet as a consumer is to buy locally, and get to know your farmer so you can really be sure of how your meat and eggs are raised!
So what does the life of a truly free range duck look like here at KW Homestead? Check out the video below to see how they live…
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We recently posted about how amazingly well electric netting works for managing livestock and poultry. This video shows you how happy our mama pigs are as they explore their newest wooded area.
You can see that they are snacking away, completely uncaring about if our arrival is accompanied with food. They do a fantastic job of finding delicious treats and slowly clearing space in the forest floor. This gives us a chance to remove small trees and other growths to ensure a sunnier future for that stretch of woods.
Check out the video below, and enjoy the sweet, subtle sounds of being a pig.
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We began our fencing journey solely with cattle panels and chicken wire, and eventually transitioned to electric fencing in places where it made the most sense. We started working with single strand electric, which never worked quite as well as we wanted (except for the cows!), and we decided to make the transition to electric netting for many of our pigs and all of our poultry. It’s the best decision we’ve EVER made here at KW Homestead!
There are so many benefits to working with electric netting… It’s easy to set up and take down, it contains even small piglets and birds, it’s durable and flexible, it never gets tangled (unlike single strand), and many more reasons!
Check out this video to see Jason explaining why electric netting is just the greatest!
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For those of you raising chickens for the first time, or just for those of you who are interested in the way we do things around here, this video gives you a brief summary of what supplies you need to make sure that your little ones make it through the first days.
We just received our 204 Red Rangers in the mail (we ordered 200 but they often send extra), and they are all set up and safe in their brooder space. They have lights for warmth, food, water, and space to explore and interact with each other. They also have guard geese living outside their brooder, which is an old, truck camper shell with hardware cloth added. Check out the video below!
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We started raising animals for our family, and have since expanded to be able to offer meats to your family, too! But you can be confident that we still raise our animals the same way we did in the beginning; with our family and the highest health and nutrition standards in mind. When you eat one of our Pekin ducks, you should know that your product is the best of each batch! We eat our duck, chicken, turkey, and eggs right along side you, and we keep the funny looking (pin feathers or a funny packaging job) for ourselves. We feed ourselves and our most beloved family the meat we raise, and name you part of our farm family! Thanks for supporting our poultry-raising endeavors… We’ll be proud to offer you meat for many years to come!
This video shows you how we raise our Pekin ducks. Raised the right way, on pasture and in the free air (with a couple guard geese as allies!).
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What a year it has been! It seems like just the other day that we sat around the kitchen table during a snow day and decided to raise a batch of heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving.
It’s hard to believe that the free range turkeys that we raised on our small farmstead are going to be at the centerpiece of so many family gatherings this Thanksgiving. It is a huge honor to be a part of so many Thanksgiving meals, and to know that our free range turkeys went to families that care about their food, how it’s raised, and where it comes from.
So, we decided to shoot a quick video thank you for all of our customers this year.
We hope that you have a great Thanksgiving, and that you share some of our turkey posts and videos with your guests this holiday to show them exactly where your turkey came from.
A few interesting ones are:
Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks again! And don’t forget to save those bones and make soup!
~Emma and Jason
*Don’t forget, you can reserve your turkey for Thanksgiving/Christmas 2016 right now! So even if you missed out this year, you can guarantee that next year you will sit down to a delicious, non-GMO heritage turkey. Just email us at ourochreway@gmail.com.
Now that you’ve purchased your free range, non-GMO Heritage Thanksgiving Turkey, you’re probably wondering how to cook it! You may have noticed that your heritage bird looks very different than the average grocery store turkey. You are right to think that there is a different technique needed in cooking your heritage bird, but never fear! We have some recipe resources for you and your family to try this holiday season.
Heritage birds are smaller than an average grocery store turkey and they tend to cook more quickly. They have more dark meat, which is great for roasting the whole bird because it is less likely to dry out.
Heritage turkeys also taste different than your average Butterball turkey. They aren’t bland and actually taste like turkey. That’s because, well, they are turkeys. Heritage birds are closer to their wild ancestors and spend their free ranging days running around the land, building muscle for your Thanksgiving enjoyment. The flavor of the meat tends to pair well with earthy, aromatic spices like sage, rosemary, and thyme. This means you can get creative with recipes this holiday season!
A delicious, roasted turkey!
Here are a few recipes that your family might enjoy this Thanksgiving:
Here are a few of our tips for cooking your Heritage Turkey:
For more information and tips about cooking your Heritage Turkey, check out these articles from Rodale’s Organic Life about How to Cook the Tastiest Bird Ever This Thanksgiving and The Magic of Fire: Traditional Foodways by William Rubel.
We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, from our Family Homestead to your Family Table! If you are interested in sharing your Heritage Turkey recipes or pictures from this year’s Thanksgiving, send us an email at ourochreway@gmail.com so we can add it to our website!
Also, it’s not too early too early or too late to reserve your free range, non-GMO Heritage Thanksgiving Turkey for Thanksgiving 2016. Check out our Heritage Turkeys page for more information!
Happy turkeys!
The information below was last updated February 2015. If you are interested in ordering a Heritage Thanksgiving Turkey for this year’s Thanksgiving, please refer to our Heritage Turkeys page for more up-to-date information!
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What? Thanksgiving turkeys? There’s snow outside!
I know, I know, but Spring is coming and we at Kuska Wiñasun Homestead are going to be raising pastured, GMO free, heritage turkeys this year. We are in the planning stages right now, and in order to more accurately prepare for next Thanksgiving we want to gauge your interest in ordering your family’s turkey from our small farmstead in North Carolina’s Triad.
This could be your Thanksgiving turkey!
These birds will be raised OUTSIDE, on pasture, where they will act like turkeys, forage and eat insects, acorns and non-GMO grains. They will breath fresh air, drink fresh water, and live a happy life free of antibiotics and hormones. They will be humanely harvested, with dignity, and will make a one of kind centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table.
Heritage turkeys are different than your typical turkey from the supermarket. They have more dark meat, more flavor, and take longer to grow. They are not bland, but instead have a rich flavor more like their wild ancestors than like chicken.
We expect to have birds available weighing 8-16 lbs. in November.
Reserve your Heritage Turkey Today!
If you would like to reserve your turkey now, which is recommended, email us at ourochreway@gmail.com and let us know!!!
If you reserve now, there will be a $15 deposit. This locks in the price of your bird at $4.99/lb. The rest is due when you pick up your turkey in November.
For example: You reserve a turkey for $15. You then pick up your 10 pound turkey. 10 lb. @ $ 4.99/lb = $49.99. $49.99 – $15 = $34.99 due at pickup.
If there are any turkeys available in November that have not been reserved, we will sell them at $6-$8/lb. By ordering and reserving your turkey in advance, you not only help us order the correct number of birds, but you experience significant savings as well!
Think of it like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), only with turkeys. A CST… Community Supported Turkeys!
You will be able to pick up your turkey in Greensboro, at times and places to be determined, or at our homestead in Stokes County, by appointment.
If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to ourochreway@gmail.com, or better yet, leave a comment if you think your question might be relevant to other people.
Soon we will be setting up an email list specifically for Thanksgiving turkey orders. This email list will allow you to keep tabs on your turkey through updates and pictures!
We will also be updating you soon via our website and facebook.
We want to miss you a very Merry Christmas, today.
We hope you had a lovely one with family, friends, and loved ones.
May the rest of your holiday time shine with love and happiness. We wish you all this, and more!
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