Why We Drive 6.5 Hours for Healthier, Drug-Free Chicks

Why We Drive 6.5 Hours for Healthier Chicks: The Importance of a Natural Microbiome

At Tyner Pond Farm, we take extraordinary measures to ensure the health and vitality of our pasture-raised meat chickens. Every six weeks, we drive 6.5 hours to Pennsylvania to pick up day-old chicks from a hatchery that aligns with our commitment to natural, sustainable farming. This isn’t just about sourcing chicks; it’s about ensuring that the animals we raise—and the food we provide to you—are as healthy as nature intended. In industrial chicken farming, the living conditions are so harsh and disease-prone that chicks are routinely subjected to an intensive schedule of vaccines and medications on day one, before they even have a chance to develop any natural immunity. On their very first day of life, these chicks are typically given a cocktail that includes the Marek's disease vaccine through an injection and an infectious bronchitis vaccine through a beak dip.   But it doesn’t stop there. In the days that follow, these chicks are often dosed with antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections—before they even have a chance to develop any natural immunity. They are also given vitamins and glucose to prop up their health in conditions so unnatural that they wouldn’t survive otherwise. And as they grow, the vaccinations continue: Newcastle disease, infectious bursal disease, fowlpox—the list goes on. This barrage of chemicals is designed to protect birds that are crammed together in filthy, stressful environments where disease is almost inevitable. The vaccines and medications are so common in industrial poultry operations. The conditions in these large-scale operations are so unnatural and cramped that the chicks are extremely susceptible to disease from the moment they hatch. To keep them alive, these birds are pumped full of drugs—creating a cycle of dependency that we refuse to take part in.

The Microbiome Is The Foundation of Health

The microbiome refers to the complex community of microorganisms that live within every animal, including chickens. These microorganisms, primarily bacteria, play a critical role in digestion, immune function, and overall health. In a natural environment, a chick’s microbiome begins developing the moment it hatches, influenced by the soil, plants, and other animals around it. This natural development is crucial for the chick to grow into a strong, healthy bird capable of thriving in a pasture-based system. When chicks are exposed to natural conditions from the start, their microbiome becomes robust and well-balanced, helping them resist disease and efficiently convert the nutrients they forage into healthy growth. This is particularly important for pasture-raised chickens, which rely on their ability to forage for a diverse range of natural foods—grasses, insects, and seeds—to meet their nutritional needs.

The Impact of Antibiotics on the Microbiome

In conventional farming, it’s common practice to administer antibiotics to chicks immediately after hatching. While this might seem like a precautionary measure to prevent disease, it has significant negative consequences for the microbiome. Antibiotics don’t just target harmful bacteria; they also wipe out beneficial bacteria that are essential for a healthy digestive system. This disruption can lead to an imbalanced microbiome, making the birds more susceptible to disease and less capable of digesting and utilizing the nutrients they consume. This imbalance creates a vicious cycle: as the microbiome becomes compromised, the bird’s natural defenses weaken, leading to a greater reliance on antibiotics to stave off illness. Essentially, the use of antibiotics creates a form of drug dependency in livestock, where the animals can no longer thrive without pharmaceutical intervention. This dependency undermines the natural resilience that pasture-raised systems aim to cultivate.

How Antibiotics Affect Foraging Behavior

The impact of antibiotics extends beyond the microbiome; it also affects the birds’ natural behaviors, including their ability to forage. Foraging is not just about finding food—it’s an instinctual behavior that plays a vital role in a chicken’s physical and mental well-being. Chickens with a healthy microbiome are more active and curious, displaying natural foraging behaviors that allow them to seek out a diverse diet in a pasture environment. However, when antibiotics disrupt the microbiome, it can lead to lethargy and a reduced ability to digest complex, natural foods like those found in a pasture. This, in turn, diminishes the bird’s inclination and ability to forage effectively, further disconnecting the animal from its natural environment and the health benefits that come with it. At Tyner Pond Farm, we believe that chickens should be raised in a way that allows them to express their natural behaviors, including foraging. This is why we go to such lengths to ensure that our chicks start life with a healthy, intact microbiome. By avoiding the use of antibiotics from day one, we allow these birds to develop the natural resilience needed to thrive on pasture, which not only benefits the chickens but also results in healthier, more nutritious meat for you. A healthy, drug-free chicken thriving on pasture

The Long-Term Consequences of Antibiotics in Livestock

The use of antibiotics in livestock has consequences that extend beyond the health of the animals themselves. While antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a well-known concern, an even more critical issue is how these drugs impact soil biology. When livestock are given antibiotics, much of the drug is excreted in manure, which is often spread on pastures. This introduces antibiotics into the soil, where they kill beneficial microorganisms essential for soil health and nutrient cycling. This disruption reduces soil fertility and lowers the nutritional quality of the plants grown on that soil, which in turn affects the animals that feed on them and the nutrient-density food produced from these animals. At Tyner Pond Farm, we avoid antibiotics by sourcing chicks from a hatchery that doesn’t use them, ensuring that both our animals and our soil remain healthy. This approach maintains the integrity of the entire food chain, from the soil to the meat on your table, ensuring the highest quality and most nutritious products for our customers.

Our Commitment To Regenerative Farming

At Tyner Pond Farm, we’re committed to raising animals in a way that respects their natural instincts and promotes long-term health. Our decision to drive 6.5 hours to pick up day-old chicks from a hatchery that shares our values is just one example of this commitment. By starting our chicks off with a healthy microbiome and avoiding unnecessary pharmaceutical interventions, we’re ensuring that they can thrive on pasture, forage naturally, and provide the highest quality meat for our customers. Thank you for supporting our mission to provide healthy, naturally-raised food that you can feel good about feeding your family. Together, we’re making a difference—one healthy chick at a time.