Convenient, Affordable, and Delicious Pasture-Raised Poultry
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Price: Starting at $99*
Raised in California
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Pasturebird is a company that delivers pasture-raised chicken delivered to your door. Pasturebird claims to have their birds on pasture 24/7 365 days a year! Their chickens also have 3 times the Omega-3s, 50% more vitamins A, D, and E, and 21% less saturated fat than barn-raised chickens.
In this post, I’ll share my experience of ordering and cooking up chicken from Pasturebird. I’ll discuss the pros and cons of ordering from Pasturebird and how Pasturebird works.
Finally, I’ll share some alternative sustainable meat delivery options you can consider instead.
I’ve been impressed with Pasturebird’s commitment to transparency and regenerative farming. In my opinion, if you’re looking for a convenient, pasture-raised poultry option, Pasturebird is well worth a try.
Let’s explain why, starting with a quick intro to Pasturebird itself.
What is Pasturebird?
Pasturebird is a subscription-based meat delivery service specializing in pasture-raised chicken. Their chickens eat a varied diet that includes; grasses, bugs, legumes, and grains. They are never fed any antibiotics, ever!
Pasturebird was founded in 2015 by Paul Greive. Paul became passionate about food, the paleo diet, and sustainable agriculture after a severe bought with Lyme disease.
Paul started Pasturebird with 50 or so chickens in his backyard. It’s since grown into one of the largest (if not the largest) pasture-raised chicken farming operations in the country. The Pasturebird farm is located in Temecula, CA.
Pasturedbird captured some buzz because of their state-of-the-art solar-powered mobile coop. The mobile coop shelters the birds from other predators as it rotates them to fresh grass. I recommend checking out some of Paul’s LinkedIn videos for a closer look.
Pasturebird’s mission is to “reinvent agriculture,” while making nutrient-dense chicken more accessible to everyone.
In 2020, Pasturebird was acquired by Perdue Farms, the country’s 4th largest chicken producer.
I spoke with Pasturebird Founder, Paul (aka Farmer Paul), about “How to Fix Chicken Farming with Regenerative Agriculture.” He shared an amazing story of how he got into chicken farming and his passion for providing healthy, pasture-raised chicken is clear.
He also talks about how (if at all), he thinks the acquisition from Perdue will change Pasturebird. You can watch/listen to that interview here.
How Does Pasturebird Work?
Pasturebird offers a variety of cuts of chicken. You can order a whole bird, breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, or even chicken livers. You can assemble a Pasturebird box from scratch where you choose each individual cut, or you can select one of their set bundles.
You can choose a one-time purchase or make it recurring for a 10% discount and free shipping on purchases over $99. Recurring boxes can ship every 15, 30, 60, or 90 days. I appreciate the one-time purchase option so that you don’t have to sign up for a subscription if you aren’t sure about using Pasturebird long-term. No forgetting to cancel if it’s not for you!
Pasturebird ships to all US states except Alaska and Hawaii. They guarantee that all meats will arrive with more than enough dry ice to keep them cool. I had my box shipped to Corpus Christi, TX in the middle of the summer. I can attest, there was still dry ice in the box when I got the chance to unpack it! None of the chicken had thawed whatsoever.
Each package of Pasturebird chicken is individually packaged, and frozen with dry ice in a fully recyclable box.
You do not need to be at home to receive your Pasturebird box. They also send you text and email reminders so that you can unpack your box and move your chicken to the freezer/fridge as soon as possible.
They also offer a 30-day guarantee on all Pasturebird purchases made from the website. This takes a little stress off of sampling their chicken.
How Much Does Pasturebird Cost?
Pasturebird chicken is sold in bundled packs (of which seem to have the greatest discounts), or individual packs of different cuts.
The bundled packs start at $99, or $89 with a 10% discount for a recurring subscription. However, you won’t quality for the free shipping unless you surpass the $99 threshold.
A Review of Pasturebird Chicken
I received my Pasturebird box 3 days after the order was confirmed in South Texas. Pasturebird sent updates on my order the whole way through. I got an update when it was shipped as well as when it was scheduled to be out for delivery.
On delivery day, my Pasturebird box didn’t wait too long out in the Texas heat. Nonetheless, everything was still frozen, all individual packages were secure.
Here’s everything that I received in my Pasturebird box:
- Drumsticks (x4)
- Bone-in-Thighs (x3)
- Boneless & Skinless Breasts (x4)
- Half Chicken (x1)
With my Pasturebird chicken, I chose to oven-roast the drumsticks, breasts, and half-bird. I BBQ’ed the bone-in-thighs.
This box with 10 cuts gave our household of 2 a solid 8 meals. I do wish that Pasturebird offered more step-by-step recipes and cleaned up their blog.
One of my favorite things about a subscription like Pasturebird, is that I’m receiving cuts of meat out of my normal rotation. This typically forces me to learn some new recipes!
Pasturebird claims to offer recipes on their blog, and I guess they do, but it’s not well organized and doesn’t have great imagery or instruction, so I ended up leaning on meals I’ve cooked before.
All the chicken we received was flavor-rich, juicy, and moist. I also find pasture-raised chicken more satiating (as it has a stronger nutritional makeup). I get full on far less!
It seems that raising chickens this way pays off. Birds that are eating what the land offers (bugs, grubs, worms, grass, etc.), make for more flavorful and nutrient-rich meals.
If you are coming from non-pasture-raised chicken to Pasturebird, I believe you will in fact taste a difference. For the better!
Pasturebird: Pros & Cons
Affordable Per Pound for Pasture-Raised Poulty
Extremely Convenient
Third-Party Certified for Regenerative Agriculture
Full Flavor, Nutrient Dense Chicken
Need More Recipes/Step-by-Step (See: ButcherBox)
Limited transparency into labor practices & supply chain
Pasturebird is a great convenient option for getting pasture-raised poultry delivered direct. Pasturebird’s prices per pound are competitive with anything else you’ll find at the store.
(Remember, we’re comparing vs. other high-quality pasture-raised options!)
The chicken made for some delicious meals and we plan on ordering from Pasturebird again. While I wish there were some more recipe suggestions, that wasn’t exactly a deal breaker. I also appreciate that Pasturebird’s farming practices are certified by a third party. I’m not intimately familiar with Land to Market, but this organization’s Ecological Outcome Verification™ is designed to measure regeneration along four foundations:
- Ground Cover
- Water Infiltration
- Biodiversity
- Soil Carbon & Soil Health
I wasn’t able to dig up if there’s some sort of grade or point system that Land to Market generates, or if it’s strictly a pass/fail.
I’m more familiar with (and partial to) the Regenerative Organic Certification™️. They are 100% public with their framework for certification.
The Regenerative Organic Certification™️ also audits “Farmer and Worker Fairness.” I didn’t see anything like that with Land to Market, nor did I see any information from Pasturebird.
As always with our Buy Ensemble Product Reviews, we assess and define sustainability from three angles:
1. Performance – Does the product serve its intended use?
2. People – What’s the product’s effect on the people “behind” the product?
3. Planet – What’s the product’s impact on the planet?
You can read more about how we define a sustainable product, here.
Pasturebird offers a great product. They also appear on the edge of sustainability, as they put the health of the land and soil as a focal point. However, there is little information on the “People” involved in the Pasturebird farm.
While we don’t assume the worst, we always recommend approaching any/all businesses’ claims with healthy skepticism.
Where to Buy
→ Grab your Pasturebird box at Pasturebird.com
Pasturebird Alternatives
If you aren’t sure about Pasturebird, here are a couple other sustainable meat delivery alternatives I’d consider:
ButcherBox
ButcherBox is a company that delivers sustainable meat to your door. They offer beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and a variety of other meats sourced from farmers who follow regenerative agriculture practices.
All of the meat is hormone- and antibiotic-free, and they have a variety of box options and specials to choose from.
I’ve tried ButcherBox before and have been really impressed with the quality of the meat! I’ve been an on-again-off-again subscriber for a couple years.
Here you can read our full ButcherBox Review.
Walden Local
Live in the Northeast? Walden Local might be what I recommend for you. Like ButcherBox, Walden Local offers a wide variety of meats and seafood raised right in the New England area.
When possible, I’d seek out the most local options possible. You support local farmers and the meat travels a shorter distance.
Check out Walden Local if you think you’re in their service area.
Disclosure:
With our Buy Ensemble Reviews, our priority is to share honest and objective evaluations of sustainable products. You can learn more about our review process here.
After connecting with Pasturebird Founder, Paul Greive, for an interview I was offered a free box of Pasturebird chicken to test out.
I’ve since ordered from Pasturebird again to continue my research for this review.
This Pasturebird chicken was bought, cooked, and eaten by me (Cory Ames) along with my family.
Have you had an experience with Pasturebird? Anything you’d like to share with me/our team?
Your feedback is incredibly helpful and appreciated. You can leave a comment here or contact us directly. Our goal is to help make planet and people-friendly purchases easier.
Cory Ames
Co-Founder & CEO, Grow Ensemble
I’m Cory Ames. I’m a writer, podcaster, social entrepreneur, and the Founder of Grow Ensemble.
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