THE FARM
The Farm
Yardbirds Farm is an urban pasture-raised poultry operation located in Lower Coast Algiers of Orleans Parish and owned/operated by Kelly Cahill. Yardbirds is part of a small network of farmers who lease from and farm alongside Cheryl + Annie of River Queen Greens Farm. The vision for Yardbirds Farm is to build a sustainable, pasture based poultry business that includes raising meat birds, processing birds on site, offering shared use of the slaughter shop, and providing educational classes on poultry raising and processing.
Our Practices
Yardbirds Farm is committed to rebuilding soil, mitigating climate change, and prioritizing animal welfare by using sustainable, regenerative farming practices. We receive day-old chicks in the mail, transport them to a safe, clean, warm brooder to grow until about four weeks old. We then transfer them to pasture pens. Daily moves in pasture pens ensure the birds live a peaceful, healthy life with access to fresh forage and the necessary space to express their natural instincts. This system evenly applies manure to the field, increasing soil fertility, preventing erosion, and building organic matter.
Our Mission
Yardbirds Farm is an urban, pasture-raised poultry farm dedicated to providing high quality poultry meat to the New Orleans area. Yardbirds is committed to honoring the workers, animals, community, and space that make the farm possible by respecting all involved, providing educational resources, and considering future generations in farm decision making.
For Yardbirds Farm, prioritizing animal welfare goes beyond life and into death. On slaughter day, birds are collected in the early morning, comfortably packed into plastic poultry crates, and moved to the on-farm processing shop. Slaughtering birds on site is important because it limits stress on the birds, eliminates transportation costs, and allows the farm to turn the processing waste into nutrient-dense compost.
