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Today we want to highlight one of our partners, Sunrise Farms, to discuss their farming practices, how they got started, and why they serve as one of our most trusted poultry dealers on the East Coast. 

Working with poultry dealers allows us to provide high-quality Cornish Cross chicks to more areas in the United States, all without having to ship them via USPS. Our partnership with Sunrise Farms has greatly benefitted their local community by bringing meat birds directly to small farms, homesteaders, and families in the area. 

The Birth of Sunrise Farms

Sunrise Farms is a regenerative farm based in Stuarts Draft, Virginia, owned and operated by the Miller family. Stuarts Draft is known for having strong agricultural roots and a thriving farm community, dating all the way back to the 1730s. Nestled in a scenic location in the Shenandoah Valley, the Millers felt it was the perfect place to start Sunrise Farms. 

When the Millers purchased their 90-acre farm in 2003, they were hoping to provide a livelihood for their extensive family. However, they had another strong motivating factor to get started: a desire to serve their local community. 

Since its inception, Sunrise Farms made a promise to provide their community with fresh, ethically raised food, as well as non-GMO feed. Over 20 years later, they are still making good on that promise, continuing to grow and expand their business.

They have earned the trust of local families and businesses by providing high-quality meat and eggs, as well as raw honey made directly on the farm. 

Our Partnership with Sunrise Farms

Our relationship with Sunrise Farms extends back to 2014. Not only do we supply Sunrise Farms with high-quality chicks that they raise out themselves, but we also work directly with Sunrise Farms to distribute our Cornish Cross chicks to local growers in the area. 

Working with poultry dealers is a huge benefit to Myers Poultry, as it allows us to expand our reach to clientele in different areas of the United States. Rather than shipping in the mail, we will transport our day-old Cornish Cross chicks via our personal fleet of trucks, or have dealers pick up their birds in person.


Throughout the growing season, one of the Millers’ personal drivers meets us at the hatchery to pick up thousands of chicks every few weeks. To avoid potential losses in the mail, the Millers find it well worth the extra effort to pick up the chicks and bring them to the farm. 

This dealer relationship has allowed both Myers Poultry and Sunrise Farms to provide much-needed access to high-quality meat in Northwestern Virginia. Whether you’d like to raise birds yourself, or purchase fresh pasture-raised meat and eggs for your family, Sunrise Farms is the perfect one-stop shop for folks in proximity to the Shenandoah Valley. 

Who Does Sunrise Farms Serve?

The Millers cater to several different markets with their offerings: individual families, farms, restaurants, butchers, and grocery stores have come to rely on Sunrise Farms for their high-quality meat (whether beef, lamb, pork, or poultry). 

And if you’re a farmer or homesteader looking for high-quality feeds, Sunrise Farms offers a variety of non-GMO feeds for all kinds of livestock, including cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goat, and rabbit. With their on-site mill, they produce soy and soy-free feed in mash or pelleted form. In addition, growers may opt for custom feed blends if they have specific needs or specialty diets for their animals.

Why Cornish Cross Chickens?

Cornish Cross is our top-selling meat bird, as well as our top-selling poultry overall. Like many growers, Sunrise Farms values the Cornish for their strength, hardiness, and ability to adapt to pasture-based environments. They’ve found it to be the perfect bird for their unique setup.

Sunrise Farms raises their birds outdoors, leading to a healthier, more nutrient-dense product for the consumer. This is important to the Millers, as they would never produce a food product they wouldn’t feed their own friends and family.

The Benefits of Pasture-Raised Chickens

In the words of Sunrise Farms, “ethical farming leads to happy animals.” While it would be less labor-intensive to raise animals exclusively in barns, the Millers believe it’s important to provide them with a good quality of life.

All of their livestock have unlimited access to the outdoors. If you stop by for a visit, you’ll likely see cows grazing on pasture, hogs foraging in wooded land, or free-range laying hens enjoying the sunshine.

Raising animals on pasture ultimately leads to happier animals and a better product for the consumer. Studies show that pasture-raised meat and eggs are more flavorful and nutrient-dense than conventionally raised alternatives.


The Cornish Cross chickens at Sunrise Farms thrive outdoors, with constant access to high-quality feed, grass, and bugs.

By sticking to ethical farming practices, the Millers ensure that their pasture-raised chickens are healthier and better tasting than conventionally raised poultry—it’s this commitment to quality that keeps customers coming back again and again.

Whether you’re buying pasture-raised chicken directly from Sunrise Farms or raising Cornish Cross chicks yourself, you can feel confident knowing your food is ethically raised with care.

How to Get Your Own Meat Birds

The Millers raise Cornish Cross for most of the year, with a typical growing season lasting from early February to late August or September. This gives their local community ample opportunity to purchase and raise high-quality meat birds. Their storefront offers frozen options year-round, with fresh poultry being available in-store from April to October. 

Depending on where you live, the Millers offer feed delivery to local feed dealers and farms or shipping throughout the region. They also deliver their meats locally as well. They have delivery maps and pricing listed on their website.

In addition to being able to purchase fresh pasture-raised eggs and meat from their storefront, you can purchase Cornish Cross chicks from Sunrise Farms and get started on raising your own poultry today; the Millers make it easy to place an order online. 

Just fill out an order form, select the quantity you’d like to purchase, and the Millers will call you when they are ready for pickup at the farm. 

Sunrise Farms Welcomes Visitors of All Ages

If you’d like to get a closer look at life on the farm, Sunrise Farms is about as transparent as they come. They strive to share their beliefs and business practices openly, so people can feel good about the products they are purchasing. 


They offer family-friendly farm tours for $5 a person, so you can personally meet the animals and see how they are raised. They’re happy to answer questions and make it an educational experience for all ages.

We are proud to work with growers like Sunrise Farms who prioritize quality, transparency, and homegrown values with their farming practices. If you want to purchase high-quality meat and eggs from a farm that cares, we highly suggest stopping by the storefront and saying hello to the Miller family.