We have compiled some of the most common questions that our visitors ask us. Please have a look at the questions below, and if you don’t find what you are looking for, feel free to contact us directly.
Currently, Tree-Range® Chicken is sold mostly in Minnesota and expanding in the upper midwestern United States. Find a store near you.
Ask to talk to the store manager or meat buyer, and request that they carry Tree-Range® Chicken, then take their name (s) and contact info and send to info@treerangefarms.com
We currently partner with retailers who ship to the Twin Cities Area, Simpls is our main partner for ready meals in this area, but stay tuned for updates on our delivery options, e-commerce is coming to our site soon!
If you own or run a business looking to sell Tree-Range® Chicken, contact our Customer Service line:
Customer Service:
507-200-0699
301 Division St S.
Northfield, MN 55021
We are scheduled to add Elderberries as market products in 2026, and Hazelnuts in 2028. We are also actively seeking operating partners in the Southern states (where it is warmer year round as compared to the cold climate states of the North) to expand into egg production under the same Poultry-Centered Regenerative Agriculture Standard.
If you are within a three hour radius of Stacyville, Iowa (the location of our processing plant) and are eager to become a part of this Poultry Centered Regenerative Agriculture System, reach out to the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance at info@regenagallaince.org or contact their Farm Enterprise & Engagement personnel directly at by emailing louis@regenagalliance.org.
One production unit that can raise 1,500 birds per flock, three time a year for a total of 4,500 birds per year (season) requires a 1.5 acre plot, a barn with at least 1,500 square feet, two fenced-in paddocks, feed bins, a source of freshwater, and a manure management plan at a minimum. The first step to become a farmer in the Poultry Centered Regenerative Agriculture System that can sell to Tree-Range® Farms is to complete the Regenerative Poultry Production Training offered by Regenerative Agriculture Solutions. Learn more about the training and find free educational resources on the Regenerative Agriculture Solutions website. After graduation from the program you would want to visit production farms to focus on: a) chick arrival and care for the first week, b) at 28 days of age, learn how to train them to range in the paddocks, and c) during harvest time to learn how to handle the chickens during harvest as they head to the processing facility. Combined with the business management training these virtual and hands-on will prepare you to hit the ground running and avoid expensive and frustrating
Yes, at Tree-Range® Farms we only raise slow growth chickens. They are raised in forested pastures, enabling them to freely forage on plants and bugs as true omnivores, without the need for antibiotics or restrictive confinement. Every flock spends 4 weeks (brooding time), after that they are trained for three days to seek food, shade, water outdoors and food is moved around the paddocks to improve the spreading of the birds. Once they have foraged a full paddock they are rotated to a new paddock. This happens a few times before they are ready to be harvested. They free-range in this “jungle-like” habitat 100% of the day from day 28 until around day 70 when they are harvested.
Our chickens are currently raised locally in the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa tri state area and processed in Stacyville, Iowa.
The Poultry Centered Regenerative Agriculture (PCRA) System grows slow growth chickens that take ten weeks to reach their full size. Because these birds grow slower and have the opportunity to exercise outdoors we see flocks grow with healthy bones and hearts that are eager to return to their natural ranging behaviors.
Yes, the poultry feed we use is sourced from farmers in the region and ground, mixed and certified for nutritional value and integrity at a feed processing facility we work with closely. Although we are seeking sources of non-soybean feed, we have not found an affordable and reliable source. We welcome any ideas that are designed and have the capacity to scale and that are price competitive. Feed is already the most expensive part of our chicken cost structure and corn and soybean meal as the primary source of energy (carbohydrates and protein) although still expensive are the only reason we are able to market our chickens currently at a price that although also high, is still within reach on a nutrition per dollar basis.
Not whole or in-shell. Once processed, we may retrieve from time-to-time screenings from the hazelnut processor and those screenings are fed to the chickens. However, hazelnuts are not yet a source of poultry feed that we can claim has any significance. Our plans are to increase this source of protein and nutrients as the hazelnut harvest also increases.
No, broilers don’t fly beyond a few inches, but we do instruct farmers to place perches inside the coops where they sleep and up to 50% of them do climb on them when available and sleep off the floor.
We raise chickens from as early as February (depending on the farm set-up if it has warm insulated brooding houses) and go through the end of October to the start of November. During the winter we shut down the production side of our operations and focus on product distribution. It is our goal to start partnerships in the Southern part of the US so that we can produce fresh chickens when it is winter in the Northern states, but we are not there yet.
Free range and beyond! In fact, they are Tree-Range! They forage amongst hazelnuts, elderberries and grasses.
Yes, at Tree-Range® Farms we do not use any hormones or antibiotics.
Our chickens are currently processed in Stacyville, Iowa.
Our filets reflect the size of the bird from which they came. When chickens are raised naturally, they are subject to nature’s variables.
The only accurate way to determine if meats are fully cooked is by using a meat thermometer. Inserted into the thickest portion of the cut (without touching bone), the thermometer should read 165°F for chicken.
The FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) recommends thawing meats in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or in the microwave on the defrost setting. Never thaw frozen chicken or other frozen meats on the counter-top.
Rinsing meat, poultry, or seafood with water actually splashes juices (and any bacteria they might contain) onto your sink and counter-tops. Skip the rinsing, and just be sure to cook the chicken to the proper internal temperature (165°F).
The FSIS recommends refrigerating perishable foods within two hours. In warm weather, cut this time down to one hour.
We have Farm tours throughout each summer and fall, join our mailing list and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date and informed on any upcoming tours!
All of the farms within the system are owned by the farmers themselves! All farms are family owned and operated and range in size from 8 acres to 110 acres!