PLENTY OF SPACE
We breed many of the Bjäre Chickens ourselves, but we also employ local breeders who work just like us. To become a breeder of Bjäre Chickens, one must not only keep the chickens in small herds, but it is also not enough to give them plenty of space and free access to feed and water. We also want the breeders to be nearby, for long transport is neither good for the chickens nor the environment. Most of our poultry stables are located on Cape Bjäre or in southern Halland.
When you make such demands on the breeders you limit yourself quite a lot, but that is fine with us. We are happy with the size of our operation today.
We do not want any large chicken factories. We do not want to be much bigger. We want to continue to deliver exactly what we do today, the best chicken we know.
Why do the chickens need plenty of space to move around?
When we started breeding chicken, we were told that the chickens did not need space to run freely. “Chickens live where you put them down, they don’t need a lot of space,” said the expert. Then we painted a blue spot on the back of a chicken so we could recognize it. We put it down in the stable to see what it did… It did not stand still! No, chickens like to run around and need plenty of space!
Therefore, our chickens have plenty of room to move around in the chicken stables. The standard in Europe is about 42 kg of chicken per square meter. In Sweden, as a member of the Swedish Bird Association, you can breed 36 kilograms of chicken per square meter.
We have almost halved the number of chickens!
We take it further – we halve the number of chickens in our stables! Thus, the Bjäre Chickens gets twice as much space to move around as an ordinary Swedish chicken. Thanks to our low occupation in the stables, ca 18 kilograms of chicken per square meter or nine to ten birds, we do not need to give our birds coccidiostats (a type of antibiotics used only for animals). Antibiotics is only used in case of illness, after prescription from a licensed veterinarian.
Our goal is to deliver the tastiest chicken. Experience has taught us that chickens that have more space, have more taste. Read more about our skillful breeders below.OUR BREEDERS
MALIN SIVERTSSON AT OLASTORP and Hillarp
In the middle of the potato farms at the Bjäre peninsula is the Olastorp farm. Here Malin and Daniel live with their four children. At the farm, there are not only chickens but also lots of potatoes. A lot of them become potato chips, sold in their farm shop. It was Malin's father-in-law who started with chicken breeding, but Malin continued.
She liked Bjärefagel's concept and think it is a good complement to the farm. Today they have a chicken stable of their own at Olastorp and at a nearby farm in Hillarp. The whole family is involved in supervision and care of the chickens.
KRISTOFFER TURESSON AT BÖLSE GÅRD
Kristoffer is a young guy with farming in his veins. It was his grandfather who once founded the farm and Kristoffer manages it well. The farm has been breeding chickens for over twenty years and, in addition to the chickens, has both a machine station and contracting operations.
There is also a popular farm shop run by Kristoffer's sister Janette on the site. Of course, you will find Bjäre Chicken at Gårdsbutik Thuresson.