02/09/2026
Why We Choose Slow-Grown Organic Chicken
For us, producing organic chicken is about much more than simply putting an organic label on a table bird. It is about choosing a different way of farming, one that puts the welfare of the bird, the health of the land and the quality of the food we produce at the heart of what we do.
Our chickens are slow-grown, giving them more time to develop naturally rather than being pushed to grow as quickly as possible. A slower-growing bird is better suited to an outdoor, organic system, where it can spend time moving around, foraging and expressing its natural behaviours.
Animal welfare is fundamental to organic farming.
Our chickens are reared to Soil Association organic standards, which require birds to have access to the outdoors, with space and conditions that allow them to behave naturally. Organic poultry are encouraged to forage, peck, dust-bathe and explore their surroundings, rather than simply being housed for rapid growth.
Soil Association standards also require smaller poultry flocks, limit stocking densities and prohibit practices such as beak trimming. Organic meat chickens are typically slower-growing and more robust, and they live considerably longer than intensively farmed chickens.
For us, this matters. A chicken should be given the opportunity to have a good life before it becomes food.
Organic farming is a whole-farm approach. It is about looking after the soil, protecting wildlife and working with natural systems rather than relying heavily on manufactured inputs.
Organic standards restrict the use of synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilisers, while encouraging healthy soils, crop rotations, biodiversity and natural fertility. Well-managed organic farms can provide valuable habitats for insects, birds and other wildlife, while healthier soils can help with water retention and carbon storage.
Our chickens are part of that wider farming system. Their manure returns nutrients to the land, while their natural behaviour on the range forms part of a more diverse and interconnected farm.
Choosing organic chicken therefore isn't simply about how the bird is reared, it is also about supporting a farming system designed to care for the land that produces our food.
When you buy an organic table bird, you are buying more than a chicken.
You are choosing a product that has been produced under a set of independently inspected standards covering animal welfare, feed, land management, traceability and the wider farming system.
Organic certification gives customers confidence that the word “organic” means something. Farms must keep detailed records, maintain traceability and undergo regular inspection. Soil Association Certification's standards also go beyond the legal minimum in important areas including animal welfare and environmental protection.
For the customer, it is a way of making a positive choice: better welfare, a more nature-friendly farming system and a bird produced with care and time.
Being certified by the Soil Association is important because it holds us accountable.
Organic farming is not simply a claim that a farmer makes about their own practices. To use the Soil Association organic symbol, we have to demonstrate that we are meeting their standards and keep records that allow our farming practices to be inspected and verified.
The Soil Association's organic standards cover the entire system, from the land and feed through to the birds' welfare, housing, outdoor access and how they are managed. Their higher standards go beyond the legal baseline in a number of areas.
That external scrutiny is something we value. It means we cannot simply say that we farm organically, we have to prove it.
For us, organic certification is a commitment to doing things properly, even when that takes more time, more care and sometimes costs more.
We believe that if we are going to produce meat, we have a responsibility to do it as well as we possibly can.
That means giving our chickens time to grow, providing the space and environment they need, caring for the land they live on and producing a table bird that we are proud to put on our own table.
