Poultry Lifestyle Suttler Post Farm knowing she couldn’ t physically manage 13 acres of blooms forever.
“ We saw how well eggs were doing at the markets, so we transitioned into chickens, and at first, it was just selling eggs,” noted Mast.“ Then the meat guy dropped out of the market, so we started doing that too. Lo and behold, now we are doing all three.”
According to Mast, the chickens are easier to manage and more self-sufficient than the flowers. The Masts raise broilers for meat and keep laying hens for eggs. The hens roost safely in a barn at night, but also enjoy a large fenced area to roam and forage during the day.
“ I like raising the chickens because I’ m always here on the farm and it gives me something to do,” Mast said.“ I go up there every day. It’ s no stress.”
The Masts only raise a new batch of broilers once their supply runs low, roughly every six months, because the chickens grow very quickly. It takes about six to eight weeks to get the chickens to three and a half pounds, which is when they are taken to the butcher. Mast said they sell them as fast as they can get the chickens raised.
The hens lay all year, and the flock is replaced in the spring. Certain years call for a second flock replacement, but usually the new flock comes once a year in February. New flocks overlap old ones for two weeks to adjust and begin laying. Mast said the travel makes them nervous and can impact laying.
Chickens arrive at 16 weeks and start laying by 20 weeks. Small eggs early on grow to full size by 24 weeks, and the old flock is sold wholesale. food to the Takoma Park community. This farmers’ market is the oldest producers-only market in the D. C. area, surpassing 40 years.
Longtime customer Andi Farbman has been buying from the Masts since they first joined the Silver Spring farmers market. She loves their products and shops with them every week.
“ Judy’ s flowers are extraordinary. Every bouquet she does looks like she is a florist,” Farbman said.“ I also get my chicken from her every week. I know they take good care of the chickens, and it tastes amazing.”
Transitioning to Chickens Mast loved growing flowers and still does, but she also began exploring less labor-intensive options,
Not Your Grocery Store Dozen Eggs sell well at weekend markets, and sales surged during the nationwide egg shortage caused by bird flu.
“ Our chickens weren’ t sick, so we were selling eggs like crazy,” Mast said.“ When big chicken houses get a sick flock, you aren’ t talking about a thousand sick chickens; you are talking about a million, so the big houses are put out of commission.”
The shortage drove up grocery prices, but small farms such as Suttler Post aren’ t usually affected by such illnesses.
Grocery store eggs can also be misleadingly marketed. Labels such as“ cage-free” or“ grass-fed” don’ t guarantee chickens actually graze outside. Many never see sunlight, and almost all eat grass alongside their feed.
“ When they put cage-free on the boxes, that doesn’ t mean they aren’ t housed in a building, it just means they are not in a one-by-one cage,” Mast said.
“ Even if you buy something from Whole Foods like‘ free-range’ or‘ organic’, I would trust Judy and John over that,” Farbman added.“ They are terrific people to deal with, and I have trust and confidence in our
26 Winter 2025 www. chickenwhisperermagazine. com