SASKATOON — Brian and Barbara Aaron have more than 20 years experience breeding, hatching and raising natural and organic poultry in the United Kingdom.
Now they are blazing a trail in Canada with the Nova Brown, a heritage broiler.
The Aarons own Nova Free Rangers, a broiler breeder operation in Rhodes Corner, N.S. They are the exclusive providers of these birds in Canada and sell day-old chicks to organic and natural free-range producers.
The Nova Brown birds are crossed from 52 pure heritage pedigree lines. They are a slightly slower growing breed than the industrial meat bird, the Cornish Cross, known for its high growth rate and resulting health issues.
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The Nova Brown is a hardy bird, bred to roam free and enjoy a natural lifestyle.
“These birds retain their strong heritage traits, which include not only the old-fashioned flavour and texture but also a good bone structure and a desire to range and forage,” said Barbara Aaron.
“The breast is slightly longer and lower on the bone, but is still a good breast. These birds are healthy, and proven to have very few problems. They are good on their legs and don’t have heart attacks.”
The Nova Brown is ready for slaughter in about 63 days and finishes out at six to seven pounds live weight and five to six lb. dressed.
The Aarons initially became interested in the heritage breed in the early 1990s while they were operating a poultry business in the U.K.
They were approached by a large game dealer interested in establishing a plant to process outdoor free range chickens using the conventional white broiler.
“He had not had much success with the white birds and consulted with us,” Aaron said.
That led the couple to mainland Europe to check out heritage chickens that would thrive under outdoor free-range conditions.
They selected the Nova Brown, starting with a small breeder flock.
“We took the very first chicks that came off our hatcher and grew them out to the finished bird to see how they would turn out,” she said.
“We were really happy with them. They were calm, friendly and loved being outside. We had them in a location next to some woods, and they enjoyed having access to the shelter of the trees.”
The Aarons established and managed several producer groups in the U.K. over the next seven years and marketed the birds to a major organic processor. The meat’s flavour quickly caught the attention of large grocery chains.
The Aarons moved back to Canada in 2000 and bought six acres of property in Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg County in 2013.
“We were both retirement age, but we couldn’t just sit around and do nothing,” Aaron said.
They decided to get back to doing what they loved: breeding and hatching Nova Brown chickens. They built two barns and today their hatchery produces 700 chicks a week, which they ship across Canada.
The Aarons stress the importance of proper care for their birds. A mixed range is necessary so that they have access to grass for forage and trees and shrubs for protection.
“The birds are terrified of overhead predators and like to get undercover,” Aaron said.
A spacious, clean, well-ventilated and insulated barn with large windows to let in sunshine is also important, as are dry, clean bedding and a clean water and food supply.
Many customers want the birds for their own consumption, but the Aarons also hope to interest commercial free-range and organic growers. They would like to see the Nova Brown become established as an alternative to the Cornish Cross.
“Whether it’s organic or not, the white bird is the only choice for consumers in Canada right now,” she said.
“Consumers today are concerned about the taste and quality of their food, where it comes from and how it’s grown. They need to have a choice.”
Challenges remain, including a limited production season because licensed free-range growers in Nova Scotia are not allowed to raise birds between November and April.
“That means we will still have laying hens and hatching eggs which we can’t afford to throw away,” she said.
“We hope to convince the quota body that winter growing is possible here without compromising the welfare of the birds.”
The Aarons would also like to designate the Nova Brown as a specialty bird, which would eliminate the need for a quota and allow them to set up grower rings.
“Because we’re going after a different market, we’re not in competition with the other growers,” she said.
“Ours is a heritage breed, and we have a different production system. The Nova Brown is a specialty bird and should be treated as such. This would allow us to get it out to the Canadian consumer.”
The Aarons have started an online publication, Free Ranger Magazine, as a way to bring all free range and organic growers in Canada together as a community to share information and ideas.
For more information, visit www.novafreerangers.com and www.freerangermag.ca.
