Sustainable free range farming with traditional breeds

Turkeys (and their poults) poultry hatching eggs and point of lay hens for sale

We have a small holding in the depths of East Sussex. It has lovely views over the Rother valley and our little plot sits in an area designated as being one of outstanding natural beauty.

When we moved here we were unsure of what we wanted to do in terms of how to use the land. As time has worn on we have become more and more convinced of the need for people to return to a more traditional way of rearing livestock.

We now rear turkeys, hens, chickens and sheep. Our turkeys and turkey poults are for sale, as are our point of lay hens and hatching eggs from a number of rare breeds of poultry.

The word traditional will appear a lot in our web site and for that we make no apology but we would like to explain what traditional means to us:

• Traditional Breeds: we like to have, where possible, breeds of animals that have been traditionally raised in these Islands. That means Norfolk Black Turkeys, Soay Sheep and Sussex Chickens. This is not a nostalgic last man stand in a desperate attempt to reinvent the past but because these were the breeds that were developed by our forefathers because they were best suited to this country and gave good flavour for the table.
• Traditional Husbandry: this means not over stocking, not using pesticides, it means using good quality feeds and respecting the land and the freedoms of the creatures we raise. By doing this our free range eggs are the tastiest, our turkeys flourish and our sheep roam contented. Traditional ways of rearing food simply make good sense if you are interested in quality – quality of life for the livestock and quality of taste when it comes to preparation for the table.
• Traditional means slow: in this speedy, ‘instant’ life that we are all encouraged to lead we believe that slow is best for livestock and best for us as humans. Our Norfolk Black Turkeys are slower to mature than commercial breeds but then they have a taste and meat quality which only comes from a traditional breed being slowly and traditionally raised. Our free range hens eggs have the best taste possible because our poultry (traditional breeds) are not Hybrids producing an egg a day in a barn, fed with cheap commercial feed but are in the open air, free to express their natural instincts, fed good organic food and they lay only 2 eggs every 3 days. Why is Soay Lamb meat so prized in restaurants? It’s because it take 18 months to mature a Soay Sheep whilst its commercial cousin is ready in six! It has more flavour – naturally.

Enjoy our web site, feel free to communicate by Email or by telephone and we look forward to helping you enjoy a more traditional way of life.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the turkeys, turkey poults, point of lay hens or poultry hatching eggs that we have for sale, please contact us and we will be delighted to help.

Norfolk Black Turkeys and turkey poults, point of lay hens and poultry hatching eggs for sale from Over the Stile, a smallholding in East Sussex.