How We Make Chicken Bone Fertilizer

Utilization is at the heart of Radius. As a whole animal butcher shop, using every part of the animal carcasses we receive is core to our ethos. Chicken bone fertilizer is an example utilization product that we are particularly proud of.

Radius being Radius, this is not “just” chicken bone fertilizer. This is chicken bone fertilizer made from the bones of slow-growth chickens from Greener Pastures, raised on pasture and regenerative organic certified. It's used by Trosi, a local regenerative farm that practices Korean natural farming. 

Our chicken bone fertilizer is the embodiment of a local, circular food system with utilization at the heart.

1. First we receive slow-growth chickens from Greener Pastures. We break down those birds into parts for the display case - breasts, thighs, wings, and drums.
2. The remaining carcass is picked for chicken salad.
3. Then the cleaned carcass is used to make our amazing gelatinous chicken bone broth.
4. After broth making, the bones are dehydrated and blended to make the chicken bone fertilizer.
5. The bone fertilizer is then used by our friends at Trosi Farms to fertilize their fields. So when you eat Trosi summer melons this year, you are experiencing a full local food system.
6. If we fed the melon rinds to the Greener Pastures birds, then the local food cycle would be even more beautiful :) one day.

The result is a bone meal fertilizer that is higher in nitrogen than typical. 

We are really proud of this work. Not just because we utilize and honor every part of the Greener Pasture birds, but because we’re able to facilitate a local circular food system. We are a connector between farms, and between farms and customers. We love the Central Texas food fabric that we play a role in.

To learn more, check out our recent Instagram reel to learn more from our in-house expert, Janelle!