by Sophie Ellison
You walk into the grocery store and scan the refrigerator shelves for chicken. How do you decide which option is best? Is it cage free? Organic? Non-GMO? Free-range? “Natural”? Vegetarian-fed? Raised without antibiotics? Maybe you start to wonder if it even makes a difference, so you choose the cheapest option and call it a day.
Turns out, there are dramatic differences between the plethora of chicken options.
Chickens are omnivorous foragers. In nature, you will find them 1) scratching at the ground, and 2) pecking at anything that moves. Most grocery store chickens, regardless of the marketing, are raised primarily, if not solely, indoors and on a corn and soy-based diet.
When shopping for chicken, the most meaningful choice you can make is pasture raised. Pasture raised chicken means that the bird spent its adult life outside on pasture. It’s been shown that pasture raised chicken has a higher vitamin content (namely A, D, & E), better fatty acid profile, higher minerals (namely iron, zinc, & selenium), and lower contaminants (medications, growth hormones, and inflammation from stress and overcrowding).
Another key element to look for is corn and soy free. Chickens do not easily utilize large amounts of corn and soy, which are heavily used in commercial chicken farming due to cheap costs and rapid production. Although corn and soy are high in calories, they are low in vitamins and minerals. As a result, these commercial factory farmed chickens are higher in omega 6s, lower in omega 3s, and overall less nutrient dense. These are not characteristics of healthy meat.
The following is a compare and contrast list of properly produced pastured chicken versus conventional chicken, inspired by Joel Salatin’s Pastured Poultry Profits:
When in doubt about your food choices, it’s always best to find a farmer that you can go to directly, ask questions, and see the process for yourself. This will help cut out the confusion so you can give your family the best, nutritious chicken your money can buy while supporting happy chickens.
If you’re looking for a local source for corn free, soy free, pasture raised chicken, Grandad Farms in Emmett just harvested their last batch for 2025 and still have whole birds available.
Price: $33 (most birds are 4 - 5 lbs)
Bulk Discount: Receive 10% off when you order 10 or more
Delivery: Available anywhere in the Treasure Valley for just $15, and free delivery over $200.