Four Maples Farm provides organically raised pastured poultry in Medina, Ohio. We operate in conjunction with Schmidt Family Farms who provide local honey, certified organic eggs, and certified organic vegetables. Chickens are raised on certified organic pasture, and fed certified organic feed (No GMOs). Our 2011 organic certification through the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has been submitted, and we are awaiting inspection.

All of our chickens are raised on a constantly rotated pasture to promote the health of the animals and the soil. We use the "day-range" method which means that the chickens are safe in a coop during the night and free to roam their ample paddock space during the day. Constant access to fresh grass gives the birds a taste that's beyond compare. The chickens are processed on-farm, humanely, and without the unnecessary use of chemicals.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Chicken Plucker!

These are pictures from the automatic chicken plucker that dad and I are building.  I am going to be processing a lot more chickens than last year so I figured that I had better upgrade to make things a bit easier.  I looked around to find one to buy and quickly learned that they cost over $1000!  In the process I found a book on how to build one yourself. Those that know me are surely aware that I am not exactly that mechanically inclined, but we decided to tackle the project anyways.  I started gathering the parts around at the end of December and things are actually moving along quite well.  The pictures you see are of the frame which will hold the tub, and a view looking down into the plucker tub.  Those rubber fingers that you see are actually quite soft.  The plate at the bottom of the tub spins tumbling the chickens around removing the feathers cleanly and quickly.  We have completed more than the pictures show.  The tub has been installed in the frame, and it has been painted.  I'll post more pics soon. I used one very similar to this at the farm that I worked at last summer, and it makes the work MUCH easier.

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming season, and I'll keep you all posted on the construction!
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