In short, our chickens actually have all these qualities!  Our chickens are grown for flavour and vitality.  We grow two types of chicken – a slower growing heirloom variety – the Sommerlad – and the typical commercial chicken available now in Australia. Because they are genuinely pasture-raised, both have the following unique qualities:

• The taste – expect chicken with more depth of flavour than you are probably used to – that’s the powerful combination of biodiverse grasses, whole grains, bugs and microbes.
• The texture – pasture-raised animals are firmer yet still tender.  When slow roasted and cooked well (and rested for a short time), the meat should be tender.
• The colour – The colour of the meat varies within each bird, and can be distinctly darker around the legs and thighs.  Our birds are slower-growing (nearly double that of intensively-farmed chickens), and as chickens age they develop more skin pigment.  The Sommerlad chickens can also be more yellow in appearance because of genetics and breeding .

For more specific information about comparisons between the Sommerlad Heritage-Style chicken and a standard broiler (meat chicken), please visit the Sommerlads Poultry website.