Murcielago Acres chickens

Murcielago Acres was founded when Dave and Cyndy Carroll moved down south in 2007. They bought a house on nine acres, most of which was open pasture with the rest being forest, and their farm was born. Murcielago means “bat” in Spanish; there are plenty around the property, hence the farm name.

Cyndy has been around animals her entire life and has always loved chickens. She explains, “I hated the way factory farms treated their animals, especially the laying hens.  I wanted to raise my ‘girls’ the way chickens should be raised – the normal, humane way with plenty of pasture to run around in, dust to bathe in and to just be chickens.” After looking into the many programs out there for farm animals, Dave and Cyndy decided to join Animal Welfare Approved because the standards mirror what they believe to be the right way to farm.

Cyndy rotates her hens’ pasture so they always have fresh greens to keep them healthy and mentally stimulated.  Currently her layers consist of Ameraucana, Black Australorp and Naked Neck breeds, and she recently acquired 43 new chicks in March. Cyndy chose these breeds because of their friendly and calm disposition, and because some of them have become quite rare.  She also wanted hens that would go broody and raise their own chicks.

More and more people want to know where their food comes from and how it has been treated.  “When I explain about the Animal Welfare Approved program’s strict standards and the way my laying hens are treated, nine times out of ten, people want to try the eggs,” Cyndy states.  Right now Dave and Cyndy market the eggs from their farm, but Dave also sells them to his coworkers and there is a waiting list. Contact Murcielago Acres for more information.