08/18/2026
Today brought a very long pause to the “Bair Essential Chicken” experience. Some major life changes are pending and it will likely be a few years before I’m able to revitalize anything adjacent to what I’m currently doing.
I’ve lost track of how many meat chickens I’ve raised and processed- I think it’s around 120 or 150. I’ve learned a lot. There have been lots of successes, and a few learning moments. If you have 8 weeks and a 60x60 chunk of grass, I highly suggest you take the plunge and get 30 Cornish Cross chickens. Invest in watching Sow the Land on YouTube- that’s where I stole a lot of my ideas.
To wrap this up- I’m going to post some pics from today’s processing with some captions. It’s going to offend some people. It’s going to p**s some people off. “Everyone likes bacon, but nobody wants to see how it’s made.” There are several documentaries out about “big chicken” and everything that’s wrong with it; that’s a whole different article. The following is meant to show how we do it here at “little chicken.” My chickens have always been raised on fresh grass, drinking filtered pond water, eating clean food, without hormones or injections, and processed as humanely and respectfully as possible. The meat then feeds my family, and sometimes yours.
Finally, thanks for the support, and for tolerating my stupid little page and venture the last few years!
Food, services, goods… continue to support “the little guy” and “the local guy” as applicable; I promise they appreciate it more than the grocery store chains.
“Bair Essential Chicken” is hereby…paused.
