Welcome to Our Pasture-Raised Artisan Chicken Meat Shop
Our chickens change with the seasons. Have you ever tried apple finished pastured heritage chicken? How about a pumpkin finished one?
We are a leader in our marketplace...the first to provide fruit or vegetable finished pasture-raised birds. We sell chickens finished with in season produce carefully grown on our farms. Whether it's fresh pumpkin, fresh corn, fresh apple, wild blackberries and more. We use integrated pest management systems with a focus on all natural and organic practices.
Soaking in the sun, dust bathing in the pasture, noshing on bugs and timothy hay already gives our pastured poultry a scrumptious and superior taste. But the unique way we finish our birds with fruits and vegetables that are abundant for each season of the year gives the meat even more flavor. Ask those who have tried one of our sweet pumpkin finished Bresse. Absolutely superb! In the fall months, we have birds that are apple or pumpkin finished. During the summer months, we have wild blackberry or corn finished birds.
Soaking in the sun, dust bathing in the pasture, noshing on bugs and timothy hay already gives our pastured poultry a scrumptious and superior taste. But the unique way we finish our birds with fruits and vegetables that are abundant for each season of the year gives the meat even more flavor. Ask those who have tried one of our sweet pumpkin finished Bresse. Absolutely superb! In the fall months, we have birds that are apple or pumpkin finished. During the summer months, we have wild blackberry or corn finished birds.
Unlike other pastured chicken farmers who buy traditional Cornish cross chicks from a hatchery to raise for meat; here at Spring Creek Heritage Farms, we hatch, grow and preserve our own breeds of rare and heritage birds. The flavor and texture of a Bresse chicken is different from a Bielefelder, Le Grand or an Ixworth. Every breed has its own unique characteristics. The best comparison I can think of would be the difference of Wagyu beef from Angus.
When you buy chicken from us, you are not only getting a treasure trove of culinary flavors but you are also supporting a chicken preservation effort. It’s a circle of sustainability that is driven to preserve the birds that we love for many more generations to come. We have lines of pure bred birds that can be traced back hundreds of years. Some of those old breeds we preserve have actually helped rebuild native populations that would have otherwise been lost if it weren’t for the few committed people who see the necessity in keeping them going. We strive to home birds first and foremost. Meat is secondary but an integral part of our farm plan. We are a no-kill chick farm and every bird has a chance to grow into a hen or a rooster on pasture thus producing some of the best tasting chickens in North America.
"We chewed, sipped broth, and then did it all over again,
as though to see if what just happened was a dream."
as though to see if what just happened was a dream."
The excerpt above is from a Globe and Mail article about pastured chicken raised by our partner farm in Canada. We now have the same chicken right here in Bellingham, Washington. We call ours the Pacific Northwest Bresse Chicken. Try our pasture raised Bresse finished with milk and grains. Bon appétit!
What better testimonial about pastured chicken than from the renowned food journalist Mark Schatzker who has deep appreciation for the taste of heritage birds. Mr. Schatzker is the author of the compelling book about food and flavor, The Dorito Effect, where he devoted an entire chapter on chickens. His award-winning journalism has appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He was also a field reporter for The Dr. Oz Show. His latest book "The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well" is an international best seller which shows the inception of our dysfunctional relationship with food—and how science is leading us back to healthier eating and living.
Here is the article:
What better testimonial about pastured chicken than from the renowned food journalist Mark Schatzker who has deep appreciation for the taste of heritage birds. Mr. Schatzker is the author of the compelling book about food and flavor, The Dorito Effect, where he devoted an entire chapter on chickens. His award-winning journalism has appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He was also a field reporter for The Dr. Oz Show. His latest book "The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well" is an international best seller which shows the inception of our dysfunctional relationship with food—and how science is leading us back to healthier eating and living.
Here is the article:
Photo by Michelle Siu for the Globe and Mail. This photo is from the Globe and Mail article above.
In-House Specials
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Poulet de Bresse: The Best Chicken You’ll Never Have (in Canada)
MARK SCHATZKER
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published September 23, 2014
Updated June 5, 2017
MARK SCHATZKER
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published September 23, 2014
Updated June 5, 2017
Berry Finished Pasture-Raised Heritage Type Chicken
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This collection is from our heritage type chickens like Le Grand that are faster growth birds. Berry finishing lends a unique flavor to the already wonderful birds we raise. Sweet notes in combination with yellow fat makes this a bird worth the time to cook.
These were USDA processed so we can ship them out-of-state. Raised 12 weeks on pasture. $6.99 per lb. (whole bird 4 to 6 lbs each). Small batch artisan chicken. Giblets are excluded. |
Pasture-Raised Poularde
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We have been perfecting our birds and finishing recipes over the last 10 years.
Our birds are raised free in open pasture and forests of the Pacific Northwest without the confines of a chicken tractor. Our pastured poularde is only found here in Bellingham WA. Outside of North America you will typically only be able to find in Europe where a bird sells for 75-100 Euros. Our retail price is $12.99 per lb. We currently have limited quantity of Dandelion & Corn finished poularde. It has an abundance of yellow fat that creates the perfect dripping for gravies and schmaltz. Limited availability. Due to demand orders are limited to 3 per person. Raised a minimum of 16 weeks on pasture. $12.99 per lb. (whole bird 4 to 6 lbs each). Small batch artisan chicken. Giblets are excluded. |
Apple & Corn Finished Pasture-Raised Heritage Type Chicken
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This collection is from our heritage type chickens like Le Grand that are faster growth birds. Apple plus our very own organically raised Bellingham Sweet Corn finishing lends a unique flavor to the already wonderful birds we raise, and the apple seems to act almost as a tenderizer. Sweet notes in combination with yellow fat makes this a bird worth the time to cook.
These were USDA processed so we can ship them out-of-state. Fryers. Raised 12 weeks on pasture. $6.99 per lb. (whole bird 2.5 to 3.5 lbs each). Small batch artisan chicken. Giblets are excluded. |
Pumpkin & Apple Finished Pasture-Raised Heritage Type Chicken
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We are one of the first to offer something this unique for your palate. We have selected some of our pastured heritage type birds and added a special treat to their diet for the holidays. Pumpkins! They were also fed apples that seem to act almost as a tenderizer and we find that the pumpkin diet makes the bird taste softer, juicier and even sweeter especially the white meat.
Raised approximately 12 weeks on pasture. $7.99 per lb. (whole bird 3.5 to 4.5 lbs. each). Small batch artisan chicken. Giblets are excluded. |
Pacific Northwest Artisan Bresse Chicken
Due to high demand for live Bresse chicks to raise for breeding, the Pacific Northwest Bresse pastured chicken will not be available at this time as a table bird. This year, the orders for chicks quadrupled so even if we increased our breeding flock, chick orders were well above our projected demand. The majority of Bresse chicks found new homes with people who are interested in focusing on and partnering with us in our preservation efforts. We will do our best to increase our Bresse flock yet again for next year. We have a waitlist for the Pacific Northwest Bresse and will do our best to start filling orders next year but there is no guarantee that we can fill all the orders on waitlist for next year, please check in with us before Thanksgiving or Christmas to see if we will be able to fill your order. They will be available again late fall of 2023 as we compensate to meet the demand for rare breed and heritage chicken preservation. As an alternative, we suggest one of our specialty-finished artisan birds at this time. Our Pumpkin and Apple Finished Pastured birds will be perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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The Pacific Northwest Bresse is finished as closely to the French standard as possible using milk and cereal grains as well as a few special finishing touches.
Raised a minimum of 16 weeks on pasture. $12.99 per lb. (whole bird 3 to 5.5 lbs. each). Very limited artisan poultry. Giblets are excluded. There is no guarantee we can fill all the orders on waitlist, plesae check in with us before Thanksgiving or Christmas if we will be able to fill your order. If not, we have alternative artisan birds in time for the holiday season that can substitute for the Bresse.
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Soy-Free and Corn-Free Pasture-Raised Cornish
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Through a partnership with a young local farmer, we are now able to offer a more cost-effective chicken. Some consumers with dietary concerns have asked us for these birds. We feel that this is a good transitional bird from store bought chicken to real farm-raised on pasture. These chickens are raised just down the road from our farm on lush green pastures on a diet free of corn and soy.
Raised 8 weeks on pasture. $6.49 per lb. (whole bird 4 to 6 lbs each). Giblets are excluded. |
In the News:
“Even the white meat of the chicken tasted rich and flavorful, and the sweet...”
The excerpt above is from the November-December 2021 edition of Bellingham Alive! magazine about our farm and our chickens. We do our best to provide our customers with quality chicks, poultry breeding programs, sustainable seasonal vegetables, fruits, and flavorful chicken for your table.
The article is entitled "Chickens Raised with Knowledge, Care, and Fresh Air"; found on page 109 of the November-December 2021 edition of Bellingham Alive!
“..the breast meat was so flavorful it satisfied even those sworn to dark meat.”
The excerpt above was from an article in the Winter 2019 edition of the Edible magazine in Vancouver about the chickens in our British Columbia partner farm. We have the same pasture raised heritage chickens right here in Washington.
Wholesale Inquiries:
For restaurants, hotels or specialty meat shops that want to offer something unique to their customers, you may want to try our pasture-raised heritage & heritage-type birds. Please contact us, we would love to hear from you.
Home of Pastured Heritage Chickens
Washington Delivery:
Pastured Chicken Free Delivery in Bellingham
within 5 miles of Bellingham International Airport.
Pasture-Raised Chicken Delivery to Seattle, Everett,
Lynnwood, Ballard, and Beyond
for a small fee once a week.
We Ship Pasture-Raised Chicken all Across Washington State
We can ship to you within Washington State, one day delivery.
We now offer USDA processed pasture birds that we can ship out-of-state!
For all our customers who have ordered from California, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, Washington DC, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Maryland, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Wisconsin, we can now fill your orders.
We can ship our USDA processed pasture birds across the Continental USA!
We can ship our USDA processed pasture birds across the Continental USA!
Spring Creek Heritage Farms, Bellingham, Washington State
Home of Rare and Heritage Chickens & Seeds
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