Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania (October 11, 2018) – Family owned, premium poultry producer Bell & Evans released a series of videos on its website allowing consumers to take virtual tours inside its breeder houses, organic-certified Hatchery, and chicken houses.
“There are obvious biosecurity reasons for why we can’t trek groups of people through our chicken houses and Hatchery,” said Bell & Evans Owner Scott Sechler. “We invested in virtual tours because we know how much our customers value transparency.”
The significance of these virtual tours is that they represent 100% of Bell & Evans’ operation. Bell & Evans pioneered the natural chicken movement 20 years ago when it was the first producer to raise 100% of its flocks without antibiotics (RWA). They do not produce commodity chicken. 100% of their birds are raised for the premium Bell & Evans brand, so that every facility – every process – must meet one very high set of standards. These virtual tours provide a uniform, behind-the-scenes look of Bell & Evans’ entire operation.
Bell & Evans manages every step of their chicken production to protect the integrity of the brand. Breeder operations are consistent throughout Bell & Evans’ entire operation. Every hatching egg is transported to Bell & Evans’ only chicken Hatchery, the world’s first to be organic certified with animal-welfare-focused operations. Every chick starts out on quality organic-certified feed. Once chicks are transported to Bell & Evans family farms, some are raised as organic, but very few differences exist in the organic program because Bell & Evans’ overall standards are so high. 100% of Bell & Evans chicken houses have concrete floors and curbs, windows for natural light and fresh litter for every flock. An organic house has outdoor access, although chickens prefer the comfort and safety of the house. The feed is nearly identical for organic and RWA chickens – an all-vegetarian blend of corn and expeller-pressed soy bean meal with vitamins and minerals to promote gut health. The grains are certified organic for the organic birds.
Bell & Evans has earned the trust of its loyal customers by innovating best practices and humane animal welfare for decades.
“We have this following of customers that we fondly call ‘Belletarians’ who won’t eat any other chicken but Bell & Evans,” said Sechler. “They trust us over other poultry producers, and I’m grateful for their vote of confidence.”
The virtual tours feature Owner Scott Sechler and his children, Scott Sechler, Jr. and Margo Sechler, Bell & Evans’ next generation of leaders.
About Bell & Evans – Bell & Evans is America’s oldest branded chicken company, dating back to 1894. We are the industry pioneer of chicken Raised Without Antibiotics and the leader and influencer of humane animal welfare standards. From our World’s First Organic Certified Animal Welfare Focused Chicken Hatchery to Slow Induction Anesthesia and 100% Air Chilled cooling, Bell & Evans is passionate about raising chickens responsibly and innovating every step of the way to produce the highest quality, premium natural chicken for its customers.