 |
| Young chicks are sheltered in a brooder box at McK Ranch. |
Throughout the Willamette Valley, pasture-based farms are gearing up for chicken season.
Chickens that are raised for meat don't perform very well in wet, rainy conditions. When birds use energy to stay warm, they don't gain weight; and the fluctuation in temperature is harmful to their respiratory system. With that in mind, most growers only raise chickens on pasture in the warmer months of spring and summer.
