Terra Firma Farms

Mistral Gris
by Meghan Anderson

                                                                      

Have you ever thought about what breed of chicken it is you eat, or how long it took that chicken to become broiler size? Commercial broilers are frequently a Cornish mixed with other breeds and are ready to be butchered in 7-9 weeks. What does that mean? The Cornish crosses grow so fast they can’t help themselves but sit at a feeder and do nothing but eat. Often they break their legs or wings because they become so fat so quickly these appendages can’t support them. It can be difficult to breed a Cornish cross; they grow so fast that they have too many health problems and are too fat to breed successfully. Sounds slightly Frankenstein.

So what to do? Enter the Mistral Gris, a breed of meat bird that reaches butchering weight at 9-13 weeks old. They are a hearty breed that can free range and forage and don’t require any antibiotics or special housing, unlike other commercial broilers. Cornish crosses will not forage on grass even if you try hard. The Mistral Gris is a new breed of meat bird bred from Barred Rocks (heritage breed) and three other breeds, developed in the last 80 years. No, they were not developed in a lab, they were developed on a farm using good old fashion breeding techniques, by selecting certain individuals with favorable traits for breeding. 

The Mistral Gris is a breed of meat bird that can be raised under the “Label Rouge” system. The Label Rouge system started in France as a way of raising poultry as a rebellion to commercial, industrial farm processes that fatten chickens on grains at high densities. Like, organic certifications, to be certified “Label Rouge” you must meet specific requirements. Label rouges poultry birds must be raised in a free range system, the breed must be a slower growing hardier bird, and there are strict requirements on the feed and stocking rates.

At Terra Firma the Mistral Gris will be raised similar to the “Label Rouge” free range system using “chicken tractors”. Chicken tractors are moveable chicken homes that allow the chickens to free range on vegetation outdoors. Once the chickens have eaten down the grass and weeds their tractors can be moved to a fresh pasture. The chickens can happily scratch around for insects and eat plants, a luxury conventionally raised meat birds do not have.

The benefits of “Label Rouge” meat birds are many, you can morally rest at ease knowing your meat was not raised in a crowded cage and fed solely on grains, this is much better for your health and the environment. “Label Rouge” chickens have more protein, less water, less fat, a better balance between fatty acids and polyunsaturated fat, more minerals and more vitamins than conventionally raised chickens. Furthermore, in blind taste tests “Label Rouge” chickens do better. The taste testing is part of the “Label Rouge” rigorous labelling process!

Email terrafirmafarms@gmail.com to reserve chickens for this year.
Available July 10th and Sept. 17th