Doug and Heidi Brown raise laying hens in Cedar Grove, North Carolina. Their original plan was to simply have a horse farm, but Doug’s friend recommended that they get chickens to help fertilize the pasture. They started with six hens and one rooster that would run free with the horses. They started getting a lot of eggs and when they realized how good the eggs were they started selling them to restaurants. Then they got more and more chickens and it turned into a business. Despite the fact that they never intended to start a laying hen farm, they have become experts in raising Heritage Breed Buckeye hens and raise them according to the highest welfare standards. The Animal Welfare Approved seal is an assurance to consumers that the hens at Fowl Attitude Farm live as natural a life as possible. Doug said,

…We have really nice pasture and we attribute that to the fact that the chickens fertilize it so well. They go into the woods and eat bugs. They exhibit their normal behaviors – spread their wings, forage, and dust bathe.

Doug explained that these birds are truly able to live the natural life of a mentally and physically healthy chicken at Fowl Attitude Farm. When Doug was asked how he maintains such high standards for his hens he chuckled a bit and said, “It’s really simple, protect them with livestock guard dogs, let the birds do their thing, make sure they have water and they do the rest. Let them out in the morning, lock’em up at night and gather the eggs.” Doug said, “I’m very proud of having the Animal Welfare Approved seal and consumers look for that.” He went on to say, “It’s so important for people to truly know what they’re getting…I love that someone independent is saying Yes, he meets the high standard.