Frequently asked questions

What does Farm Daddeaw mean?

Farm Daddeaw means "Only Sun" in Thai, ฟาร์มแดดเดียว. The sun is the source of all life and energy.

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming that focuses on improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, enhancing ecosystem services, and mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration. We employ practices such as no-till farming, cover cropping, no chemical inputs, and rotational grazing to restore degraded soils, work with natural processes, and create more resilient agricultural systems.

What does "Organic" mean? Is Farm Daddeaw organic?

Organic certification ensures that there is the absence of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and GMOs in food production. It is an important first step but we are looking at the complex ecosystem in a bigger holistic approach that includes Organic principles.
Currently, Farm Daddeaw is not certified organic. We follow organic guidelines and in many instances exceed them -- Beyond Organic.

What is the difference between cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, and moving the animals like Farm Daddeaw?

Cage-free: Meat chickens are never raised in cages even in industrial, commercial operations. A single warehouse may house 20-60,000 chickens without any access to outdoors. Cage-free is not relevant meat chickens (only to egg layers).
Free-range: Indoor housing with access to fenced-in outdoor areas allows the animals to roam and "free range". The animals stay in the same area for their entire lives. However there is no standard to regulate outdoor space requirements. This makes the term watered down and susceptible to greenwashing.
Pasture-raised: The chickens are living on pasture with the ability to freely roam, scratch, and peck. They may have a mobile housing to shelter from rain and predators. It usually means a stationery housing.
Moving the animals: Farm Daddeaw took the best of pasture-raised and made it even better. We move the animals daily so that they get fresh pasture every day. This exponentially increases the amount of forage and bugs in their diet!

How do you manage the health of the animals without vaccines, antibiotics, or growth hormones?

We don't vaccinate, use antibiotics, or growth hormones in our animals.
We choose to support the animals' immune system instead of relying on chemical pharmaceuticals by providing them with hygienic clean bedding, plenty of grass and sunshine, and no-stress living environment.
We leave the rest to their animals themselves. We let the chickens fully express who they are - scratching, pecking, and playing in the sunshine. This keeps them happy and healthy.

What is air-chilled vs water-chilled?

Chickens need to be chilled after processing to bring their temperature from 40°C to under 4°C.
Air-chilled: cooled using cold air, resulting in no water absorption, better flavor retention, and crispier skin when cooked
Water-chilled: immersed in cold chlorinated water, which leads to water absorption and potential bacterial cross-contamination

Air-chilled chicken is superior in taste and texture with no added water weight, but it's more expensive due to the longer processing time compared to the more common and faster water-chilling method.

Farm Daddeaw air chills their meats.

What kind of organic feed does Farm Daddeaw use?

Each component of our feed is Certified Organic. However, the feed mill is not certified so the finished feed is not Certified Organic.
The feed is based on organic corn, organic rice, organic beans, and organic fish meal. The organic beans are either soybeans or green beans, depending on availability.

What is so important about moving the animals?

Moving benefits both the animals and the land.
Animals - they get a daily dose of fresh grass and bugs to eat and a clean bedding to sleep. The grass contains loads of vitamins and minerals which contribute to their deep flavors. A clean bedding is vital to their hygiene. No one wants to sleep in their manure.
Land - a rest period is required after animals scratch, eat, and leave their excrements. Constant grazing puts too much pressure and kills the pasture.