Pastured Poultry

Learn about the ‘Impeckable Project’ which is an initiative to reintroduce dual-purpose poultry - breeds valued for both egg laying and meat production - into modern farming systems. 

Hear more about the key practices and principles of rearing pastured poultry and learn about building designs, feed, processing and routes to market.

You’ll leave this course having learned about:

• Dual purpose chicken breeds
• High welfare poultry keeping
• Housing design options
• How to rotate the poultry around the farm
• What to feed and can it be soya free
• Regulations, processing and marketing the produce

Before the workshop, you’ll have a chance to taste the results of rearing pastured poultry when you enjoy a lunch of local pastured chicken accompanied by seasonal veg from the Kitchen Garden at FarmED.

Speakers

Clare Hill is a regenerative farmer with deep roots in both policy and corporate spheres of the agri-food world. Since the early 2000s, she has held roles spanning the entire food system – from grassroots farming to corporate strategy. Clare will share details of the Impeckable Project exploring the potential of dual purpose chickens - producing laying hens with male chicks that are suitable for raising for meat. We will also hear from Clare about raising slow-growing meat birds. Chicks begin life in their homemade trailer brooders, then move to mobile shelters on pasture, where they enjoy daily access to fresh grass, insects, and natural forage.

Matt Elliott is an agroecological farmer, farming at Sandy Hill Farm in the Cotswolds on a 190 acre National Trust tenancy. He keeps laying hens and produces Pasture For Life certified grass fed beef, selling produce directly to consumers. Matt will share his experience of keeping laying hens in a pastured, soya-free, mobile system. The hens are kept in a Joel Salatin designed eggmobile, moved around the farm on herbal leys following mob-grazed cattle. Eggs are sold either from the gate, via an ‘egg club’ or at a farmers market.

Matt is also Agricultural Lead at FarmED and will share the details behind the FarmED egg-row forestry system and FarmED’s laying hens, which live in and around a bespoke egg mobile. 

Arrivals and timings information

Please arrive at 12pm. We will start with a farm to fork lunch which will be served at 12.15pm. The course will be expected to finish at 16:45.

Before the talk, you will get a freshly prepared, nutritious lunch from the FarmED Cafe where you will be able to network with other guests.

Tiered Pricing

Delivery of our mission is a collective effort and our values embrace inclusivity and diversity. We don’t want price to be a barrier to anyone visiting FarmED or attending our events. Read more about our tiered pricing policy here.

North East Cotswolds Farmer Cluster & Cherwell Farmers Group

We can offer discounted tickets to NECFC and Cherwell Farmers Group members, please email matt@farm-ed.co.uk for a discount code.

We like to take photos and occasionally videos of our events to use on our website and social media, please let us know if you do not want to be photographed.

Cancellation Policy

We understand that there may be times when you need to cancel your booking. Our cancellation policy is outlined here.