BACK TO TOP OUR Story OUR Farms OUR Chicken OUR Standards OUR Kitchen GET The Facts PRODUCT LOCATOR CAREERS CONTACT US Our Farms Most poultry producers do what’s best for the bottom line. WE DO WHAT’S BEST FOR OUR CHICKENS AND YOU. That requires innovation each step of the way, from housing to processing and packaging. Follow the journey from our first-of-its-kind hatchery and organic feed to Slow Induction Anesthesia and our 100% Air Chilled method. Then experience the difference in your own kitchen. where it all starts BREEDER OPERATIONS Introducing Das Klassenbester,™ our best-in-class chicken IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE MANAGE EVERY STEP of our chicken production to ensure the health of our chickens and integrity of our products. The breeder operation is where it starts. A breeder farm is where male and female chickens produce hatching eggs that are transported to our organic certified, animal-welfare-focused Hatchery to hatch and grow into the excellent chicken A HEALTHY CHICKEN MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. Managing our breeder operations means we have control over the actual breed of chicken. Watch the Virtual Tour of one of our breeder operations to find out why our standards are higher. WHY BREED MATTERS Broiler chickens today are bred to grow fast, large and cheap. For decades, the big chicken companies have selectively bred for these traits to increase profit, and most primary breeds have been altered. That unnatural growth causes stress to the chickens’ bodies and health issues to develop, not to mention that quality suffers. Our focus has always been on doing what’s right for our chickens and our customers. We pioneered the highest set of humane animal welfare standards in the industry and realized there was room for improvement in our breed. Learn more about our Das Klassenbester below. Previous Next 1 2 3 4 OUR CHICKENS' WELFARE Bell & Evans Das Klassenbester chickens are grown more humanely. The evidence is visible: poor quality product as a result of supersized chickens. White striping and tough breasts are not found in “The Excellent Chicken.” LET'S GET STARTED. where it begins THE HATCHERY WE BELIEVE CHICKENS NEED A HEALTHY START. That’s why we built the world’s first organic certified chicken hatchery focused on animal welfare. WELCOME TO OUR VIRTUAL HATCHERY TOUR! Welcome to world’s FIRST organic certified and animal-welfare-focused Chicken Hatchery. This facility is currently 160,000 square feet and can hatch 1.9 million chicks per week. With planned expansions over the next 10 years, we’ll be able to hatch 3.6 million chicks a week. Previous Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Clean filtered water is available from the moment they hatch. Our new Organic Certified Animal Welfare Focused Hatchery. Our new hatchery marks a complete departure from traditional poultry practices. Most poultry producers inject eggs with antibiotics, and sanitize with formaldehyde. We’ve replaced standard sanitization processes using harmful chemicals with stringent biosecurity procedures and organic sanitation methods. Traditional poultry practices force chicks to wait until they’ve been transported to the farm to eat and drink—a process that can take up to three days. Our chicks enjoy organic food, water, fresh air and light as soon as they leave the egg. They’re never handled by machinery. We’ve eliminated many standard industry practices, such as belt drops, shell separators and chick counters. This makes the process much less stressful for the chicks. And they’re transported from the hatchery to the chicken house within an hour’s drive, on average. LET'S GO THERE NOW. home sweet home HOUSING WITHIN ABOUT AN HOUR, CHICKS ARRIVE FROM THE HATCHERY. We transport them in the same trays in which they hatched, to minimize the stress of handling. During the short journey, they are provided with Organic feed to nibble on. Watch our Broiler Farm Tour Video to follow along on their journey… Take a look around one of our family farms. WHAT ELSE DO OUR CHICKENS LOVE? Inside the chicken house, fresh new litter awaits the chicks. We remove old manure and fully sanitize the barn between each flock. The barns remain empty for more than two weeks. No other chicken company in the United States takes this step, but it’s crucial for breaking the lifecycle of bacteria and viruses. We don’t “half-house brood.” Big poultry producers use “half-house brooding” to lower their heating costs, but it leads to overcrowding and injuries. We give our chickens full access to the entire chicken house, plus enrichments such as ramps and tunnels. GO INSIDE THE BARN MEET OUR FARM FAMILIES All that activity can make chickens hungry. WE’VE GOT JUST THE THING. fine dining FEED If you believe the phrase “You are what you eat,” then consider our chickens’ all-vegetarian blend of corn and expeller-pressed soy bean meal made by extruding and expelling the soybeans (not hexane processed), plus vitamins, minerals and plenty of fresh well-water. Notice we didn’t say “antibiotics,” “petroleum and ethanol by-products,” “expired bakery goods” or “brewery grains.” Lots of poultry growers use these to cut costs. Not here. We take special care to feed our chickens only the best U.S. grown corn and soy, plus our own blend of oregano oil, cinnamon and yucca to support their natural gut health. We’re the first in the U.S. to stop using antibiotics. DISCOVER HOW WE DID IT. By using 100% extruded, expeller-pressed soybeans, we protect the environment and keep chemicals out of our feed. LEARN MORE. en route to excellence TRANSPORTATION Our responsibility to our chickens doesn’t end when they leave our farms. They deserve comfort even when they’re on the road. To make this possible, we’ve engineered a spacious modular drawer system. No cramped wire cages here. Each drawer provides a clean, comfortable place for chickens to settle in and relax. Enclosed trailers protect our birds from weather and allow air to circulate. After a short drive– usually less than an hour– chickens arrive at our temperature-controlled calming barn, where they can unwind from the voyage. To keep them clean for the next flock, we use recycled water from our own waste water treatment plant to wash and disinfect our live trailers, modules and drawers between each use. But before we do, the birds enter processing. And it’s not as bad as you might think. LEARN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. chilled to perfection PROCESSING If the word “processing” makes you squeamish, you’re not alone. We’ve worked hard to innovate better methods that benefit our chickens, our employees, our environment and you. 100% AIR CHILLED Previous Next 1 2 3 4 5 Finally, chicken enters the appropriate line to be cut into parts, de-boned or left whole. Our 100% Air Chill method cools the chickens as they move through our 2-mile chilling system. We start with Slow Induction Anesthesia, or SIA. While still in the comfort of their drawers, chickens are slowly rendered unconscious. This eliminates the stress of handling, plus any fear, pain or other suffering. “Bell & Evans shows that animal welfare and good business can go hand in hand. …and by listening to consumers’ wishes, Bell & Evans has set a new standard for the chicken-supply industry.” –Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA Next, the chickens are 100% Air Chilled. Traditional chilling methods require chlorinated water, which is absorbed by the chicken and dilutes its natural juices. Our 100% Air Chilled method enhances the chicken’s flavor and tenderizes the meat. It’s the only one of its kind in the nation, and a big reason why Bell & Evans chickens taste better than other any other. (Learn more.) Afterward, we visually grade each chicken. Only the best 30% get packaged as whole birds. The others are cut up and hand-graded. Boneless breasts are deboned and trimmed to eliminate bone shavings and other foreign materials. We then deliver chicken to our family-owned retailers, usually within 24 hours. LET’S SEE HOW THEY LOOK. that's a wrap PACKAGING HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED Bell & Evans packaging looks different than the rest? It’s not a marketing trick, aesthetic choice or cost benefit. These packages carry big benefits. Previous OTHER PACKS: TWIN PACK This packaging features all the great benefits of our standard tray, but has two compartments. They can easily be separated and perfect when you need a little less product. Use one tray today and freeze the other tray for future use! OTHER PACKS: FAMILY PACK Next Breeder Operations The Hatchery Housing Feed Transportation Processing Packaging our chicken Taste the difference. You’ve toured our farm. Now try our chicken. FIND YOUR FAVORITE humane animal welfare We raise chickens right. See how our stewardship extends to our animals. LEARN MORE Bell&Evans 154 West Main Street Fredericksburg, PA 17026 717-865-6626 CONTACT US Privacy Policy Legal Disclaimer Sitemap Promotions FAQs Business Partners Careers Sign up for our Newsletter SUBSCRIBE View Newsletter Archive