Laverstoke Park

Education Centre

Organic Chicken

Leghorn	Speckledy	Marran

Our Chickens live in small groups in houses that are moved around the farm to ensure they are always on fresh ground. Not many people realise that chickens like eating grass. They also search for insects and worms, which they really enjoy. This way they find their own natural healthy food and have very enjoyable lives.

We keep some chickens to produce eggs, such as Marans, which are grey and speckled, and will lay a very dark brown speckled egg, and Leghorns, which are white and lay a very white egg, amongst others. You can try and find the different chickens when you come to visit!

We keep some chickens for meat, including a traditional British breed called Light Sussex, which are white with a black neck. We also keep some birds called Gris (pronounced 'gree' which means grey).  These Gris Chickens originate from France where they are bred for the 'Labelle Rouge' market.  They produce excellent quality meat.  We raise them for 100 days and they live outside, eating insects and grass.  We have about 450 of these chickens.  Sasso Cross  These are raised for their excellent meat.  We raise them for 100 days as opposed to 39 days for some commercial chickens.  They live outside from an early age eating grass and insects.

We use different breeds than those you buy in the supermarket because they live longer, are healthier and do our fields good by scratching the ground, eating bad bugs and making the grass and crops grow by pooing on the ground! Most supermarket chickens live in cages in dark sheds and never get to peck around in fields and live happy chicken lives.
 

Chicken Comparison Chart

  *(excluding grass or grains)

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