Owner Gary Otto had no experience raising chickens when Otto’s Chicken opened in Middleville, Michigan. He was raised on a family farm, a poultry farm especially, but he made the decision to go and launch something new. He was aware of his desire to bring up his children and instill a work ethic in them on a farm. He and his spouse placed high importance on the notion that success requires discipline, hard effort, and accomplishment rather than merely happening to you.
They were able to get an inside look at how operating a successful chicken farm truly does need hard work, devotion, and a love for your flock after spending some time with Gary and his daughter Renae. It is clear that Gary genuinely cares about his birds. They just take more tiny steps to improve their quality of life, he added. They have just hatched baby chicks when they bring them inside. The birds are nurtured in a friendly setting where they get individualized care.
In order to care for his girls and do our best, Gary explained, “I get down and dirty. I truly do adore my birds, he continued, adding that he was constantly present to see that everything was being done correctly.” Regarding how we capture them, I am particular. Prior to being butchered, all those tiny things count. Antibiotics are not necessary since Gary and his staff at Otto’s utilize other techniques to provide the least stressful environment possible for the birds that are grown there.
Otto’s Chicken Middleville
Farm-fresh, hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken is offered to Michigan residents seeking top-notch meat at Otto’s chicken farm in Middleville Michigan. You can visit the Otto’s Chicken Middleville farm shop or even the farmer’s markets in Holt, Kalamazoo, or Royal Oak to find Otto’s locations if you want fresh, high-quality chicken. This Otto’s chicken was reared locally and had access to clean water, fresh food, and lots of space to wander.
You will adore the flavor. Diet and exercise are crucial for chicken health, and good chicken is chicken that is healthy! They work hard to deliver high-quality chicken items that you are guaranteed to love thanks to our years of expertise, first-rate management, and love of poultry. It’s the obvious decision if you want to taste the difference.
Otto’s Chickens makes and sells farm-fresh, all-natural chicken in whatever form you can think of, including whole, in pieces, sausages, minced, and more. The hens are grown in open barns without the use of any hormones or antibiotics.
Meat may be bought through the farm’s on-site store or at a number of nearby farmer’s markets, including the ones in Kalamazoo, Royal Oak, and Lansing. The on-farm store is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday. It sells a variety of Otto’s Chicken goods as well as regional food.
By some luck, the reporters arrived at the same time as the USDA Auditors when they first arrived at the producing area. Otto’s Chicken Middleville is inspected once a year, and moreover, it was added by them that they consistently receive perfect scores.
According to the inspectors they spoke with, Gary’s facility is the greatest in their midwestern jurisdiction and they actually haven’t visited one before. On chicken farms, one thing they advised is to pay attention to the sounds coming from the area where the chickens are housed and killed, which is located on the other side of the wall. If you hear them squawking, there is a problem and they are not being treated properly. Those birds are relaxed and peaceful if you only hear a few soft peeps.
In addition to the annual inspection, Otto’s Chicken Middleville is obliged to hire a USDA Inspector who works the production line on the days that it is in operation because they process their own birds on-site. There will be 5,400 chickens processed each week.
The reporters then came across Otto’s feed mixing facility on their way to see the five-week-old babies. The local farmer produces non-GMO corn, which is combined on-site with soy protein using equipment he recovered from the trash and restored years ago. Gary is a 3rd generation farmer, and his parents formerly employed this device.
He may adjust the grain size using this machine, which varies according to the maturity of the birds. The mixture is then transported from the mixing bowl to a bin near each chicken bay (there are six, one for each week/age of the hens), and at the flick of a switch, it is moved from the bin across the barnyard into the feeders. The automatic system for feeding and water truly streamlines the procedure, and as the birds develop, pulleys in each barn may raise the altitude of both lines.
Both cages and antibiotics are not used at Otto’s Chicken. Apiece bird should have 85 square feet of the room according to the usual guideline, but Gary is happy to provide his 1.30 sq. ft each. He had only one guiding philosophy when he began farming on his own: he wouldn’t overcrowd his birds. In reality, he differs from other breeders in that at 5 weeks old, 20% of the chickens are removed and placed in a different region. As they enter their sixth week, this offers everyone even more room. Gary took up a bird to demonstrate to us how clean the barns are; the bird’s feet are smooth and free of any burns or scabs, unlike if its habitat had not been maintained as clean.
Gary takes tremendous satisfaction in his work and estimates that fewer than 10 farms throughout the nation operate on a similar scale. Every Saturday, Otto’s Chicken is available at the outdoors and winter markets, as well as a number of grocery shops in Southwest Michigan. They’re confident you’ll notice the difference in flavor.
