Sustainably Raised Local Food in Granby

Welcome to our Granby, CT Homestead! We provide sustainably raised and humanely processed pork, chicken, and eggs. We believe what we eat and what our animals eat matters and meaningfully contributes to our health, their wellbeing, and a more sustainable world. We don’t use conventional pesticides, antibiotics, or vaccines in our management practices. We focus on slow growing heritage breeds that take longer to get to market, but have more flavor and a higher quality meat from animals. We focus on breeds that are more resistant to disease, can be successful at independently raising their young, and are easy to manage.

We have selected the American Guinea Hog as the cornerstone of our pork operation. American Guinea Hogs are classified as threatened by the Livestock Conservancy. We breed them and eat them to ensure that the genetics improve over time and the high quality of flavorful pork continues. We offer live pigs for breeding and will work with other American Guinea Hog breeders with registered stock to locate an unrelated breeding pair if you desire. Whole and 1⁄2 hogs are available to fill your freezer, or just choose cuts you like. These lard pigs are very well suited as whole roasters, sausage, bacon, and the very best pork chops. Those willing to take a nose to tail approach will find they make excellent charcuterie!

Creme D’Argent rabbits are on classified as threated by the Livestock Conservancy. We have begun breeding them and are working on improving our stock. We hope to make them available for sale beginning in fall of 2024. We are focusing on developing resilient stock and move our breeders around the pastures and orchard in a mobile hutch system that enables them to get fresh air, sunshine, and to actively fertilize our pastures and gardens. Grow out bunnies will be raise on fresh untreated grass and moved daily until they are old enough to go to market.

We are experimenting with two different breed of heritage meat chickens. Our goal is to identify a chicken with the balance of slow growing with hearty animals that grow to 6-9lbs dressed. Buckeye chickens are classified as watch by the Livestock Conservancy. One of the only breeds developed entirly by a woman, Mrs Netti Metcalf of Warren Ohio and recognized back in 1905. Buckeye roosters can get to 9lbs, while the hens grow to 6.5lbs at maturity. Hens lay eggs roughly every other day. Buckeye’s will take between 30-40 weeks to mature. We will test out Delaware Chickens, classified as recovering by the Livestock Conservancy. Delaware roosters can grow to 8lbs, hens to 6lbs. Deleware’s will take 20-30 weeks to mature, and hens lay 2 eggs every 3 days. We hope to continue breeding both varietys while we learn about the breeds and determine which one bests suites our homestead.