When choosing farms to grow chickens for our products, we look for several criteria. First, we require that all of our farmers raise their birds without antibiotics and hormones. To do so, they must maintain a low stress environment that allows the chickens to exercise their natural instincts, and provides them with plenty of fresh air and sunshine. An integrated, or cyclical, farming system is another important criterion that we look for, and is the mark of sustainable agriculture. For example, many of our farmers raise crops, in addition to chickens, so manure can be composted and used as fertilizer. Other farmers supply manure for the crop fields of neighboring farms. Finally, we insist that a manager is onsite at our farms, who works hands-on with the chickens, ensuring that potential problems are spotted early on.