Organic Chicken Farming: Comprehensive Guide for Healthy Poultry

Organic chicken farming, with its focus on humane treatment and sustainable practices, offers an alternative to conventional poultry production that is rapidly gaining popularity.

Organic chicken farming is a sustainable and humane method of poultry production, gaining popularity due to its benefits for both the environment and the consumer. This farming approach emphasizes natural growth, feed, and health practices, resulting in healthier, happier chickens and a superior end product.

This article delves into the nuts and bolts of organic chicken farming, from setting up your coop and selecting your chickens, to understanding organic feed and dealing with potential health issues.

Whether you’re a seasoned farmer looking to transition into organic practices, or a novice embarking on your first farming adventure, this comprehensive guide will provide you with all the necessary information to successfully raise organic chickens.

Organic Chicken Farming On a Larger Scale

Transitioning to organic farming can be a challenging yet rewarding endeavor on a larger scale. Organic chicken farms strive to synchronize the birds with the land’s natural productivity, promoting animal welfare, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability. This goal sees the integration of several principles:

1. Strict adherence to Organic Standards: This includes regulations such as federally regulated access to outdoors and no use of antibiotics or hormones.

2. Sourcing Certified Organic Feed: Chickens are provided with grains free from genetically modified organisms and synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

3. Use of Mobile Chicken Coops: This encourages rotational grazing, allowing chickens to forage for natural nutrition, and aiding in natural pest control and fertilization.

4. Focus on Heritage Breeds: These are often hardier, more disease-resistant, and better adapted to outdoor living than commercial breeds.

5. Regular Health Checks and Preventive Measures: This maintains the birds’ health and productivity without resorting to non-organic treatments.

In essence, organic chicken farming at a larger scale necessitates meticulous planning and management towards attaining symbiosis between the flock and the farm’s ecology.

Raising Backyard Chickens for Eggs and Meat

Starting with a small flock, preferably pullets, is advisable for beginners due to their resilience and ability to get used to the new environment quickly. Procuring a sturdy coop to provide protection from predators and adequate ventilation during summer is crucial. Chicken wire should be avoided as stronger predators can break through it, instead heavy-duty hardware cloth is recommended.

Providing a balanced diet is key to raising healthy chickens. Layers pellets for egg-producing hens and grower’s feed for meat chickens serve the purpose effectively. Supplementing the diet with kitchen scraps, green leafy vegetables, and fruit peels can be beneficial but should not eclipse their main feed.

Ensuring consistent access to clean water is vital for their survival; a full-grown chicken can drink up to a pint of water a day.

Organic standards recommend that birds are given outdoor access for certain durations in a day. Introducing a routine and sticking to it helps the flock to adapt better. Implementing the “pecking order” with regards to setting up feeding and nesting stations can help in maintaining discipline and preventing unnecessary fights among the flock.

Key points:

• Start with pullets in a sturdy coop.
• Feed balanced diet that includes layers pellets or grower’s feed.
• Consistent access to water is vital.
• Familiarize chickens with outdoor access as per organic standards.
• Implement ‘pecking order’.

Strict Standards for Organic Chicken

Under USDA’s National Organic Program, strict regulations play a crucial role in deeming poultry as organic:

1. Organic feed: Chickens must be fed a diet of 100% organic feed, free of animal by-products, GMOs, antibiotics, or unapproved synthetic substances.

2. Outdoor access: The birds must have access to the outdoors, with natural light, fresh air, and enough space for natural behavior like pecking, scratching, and dust-bathing.

3. Freedom from antibiotics: Organic production prohibits the routine use of antibiotics. Animals can only receive antibiotic treatment when diagnosed with an infection.

4. Humane treatment: Birds must be raised from the second day of life through the entirety of their life cycle under these organic standards.

5. Certification: Farms must keep detailed records and are inspected annually, ensuring continued compliance with these stringent conditions.

How to Feed Chickens Organically

To ensure your chickens are receiving the appropriate nutrients, there are several feed options frequently utilized in the organic farming context. A common feed solution involves a blend of organic grain, protein, and other essential nutrients. Organic grain such as corn and soybean meal form the core of this blend.

Key considerations for organic feed:

• Always use certified organic grain to prevent any contamination from non-organic sources.
• Incorporation of protein is critical, consider adding fish meal or canola meal for a comprehensive diet.
• Balancing the feed with necessary vitamins and minerals is crucial for a healthy flock. Indicated supplements often include calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals.
• Consider utilizing food scraps, green vegetation, and insects as supplemental sources of nutrition. Doing so contributes to a balanced diet and mimics a natural foraging environment.
• Remember to provide continuous access to fresh, clean water. Hydration is a fundamental aspect of chicken health and well-being.
• Avoid feeds containing synthetic additives or genetically modified organisms to preserve the organic integrity.

It’s essential to periodically review and adjust the feed plan to adapt to growth, laying cycles, and weather conditions. Implementing these strategies promotes the sustainable production of organic chicken by improving animal health and productivity, aligning to the principles of organic farming.

Set Up Mobile Chicken Coops

Adequate ventilation and comfort are fundamental considerations when building a mobile coop, also referred to as a “chicken tractor”. The coop should be predator-proof, containing defense mechanisms against common predators such as raccoons and foxes. It’s advisable to incorporate wheels on one end to facilitate movement, and a sturdy handle on the other.

Coop size depends on the number of chickens it will house. A cozy dimension allows for 4 square feet per chicken within the coop, and about 10 square feet per chicken in an outdoor run.

Mobile coops not only provide safe, comfortable poultry housing, but also facilitate natural insect control and fertilization. Chickens naturally forage for insects and their droppings act as organic fertilizers. Moving the coops regularly allows for a distributed pattern of fertilization, and gives chickens access to fresh ground for foraging, benefiting both the chickens and the pasture.

• Ventilation, comfort and safety
• Easy accessibility features
• Sizing considerations
• Benefits to pastures and chickens

Heritage Chicken Breeds

Breed selection plays a critical role in organic chicken farming due to the vastly differing behavioral and adaptivity traits of chickens. Beginning with Rhode Island Reds, these birds demonstrate a consistent egg production with a reputation for being robust and adaptable.

Next, Buff Orpington’s, identified by their beautiful golden plumage, is notable for being docile and good-natured, excellent layers, and efficient in converting feed into meat.

The Barred Rock breed, often hailed for its dual-purpose nature, provides both a substantial meat yield and high egg production.

Finally, the Sussex breed brings not only diverse feathering colors but also vigorous egg production. Considered a heavy breed, they guarantee a substantial meat yield.

• Rhode Island Reds – reliable egg production, robust and adaptable.
• Buff Orpington’s – docile, efficient in convert feed into meat, and beautiful golden plumage.
• Barred Rocks – dual-purpose, heavy meat yield, and high egg production.
• Sussex – diverse feathering colors, heavy breed, substantial meat yield, and vigorous egg production.

Each breed presents unique advantages to the farmer, depending on the specific needs of the farm. Innovation continues to advance, creating opportunities for farmers to selectively breed their flocks to increasingly raise the productivity and sustainability of their operations.

Nutritional Content of Organic Chicken

Organic chicken holds a reputation for its superior nutritional content. Here’s why:

1. Higher Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Improved ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats compared to conventional chicken. This proves beneficial in reducing heart disease risk.

2. Less Saturated Fat: Lower amounts due to the more free-range lifestyle the chickens lead, contributing to the mitigation of cardiovascular health issues.

3. More Vitamins and Minerals: Higher levels of vitamins A and E, along with essential minerals like iron, aiding in better immune function and overall health.

These nutrition benefits derive mainly from the organic feed and free-range lifestyle that organic chicken farming promotes.

Troubles With Your Chickens On a Small Farm

Despite several benefits, small-scale poultry farming isn’t without its challenges:

1. Predators: Maintaining the safety of the flock can be demanding. Predators such as foxes, raccoons, or even neighborhood dogs can pose a considerable threat.

2. Diseases: Chickens are susceptible to various diseases. Avian influenza, Marek’s disease, and parasite infections like mites and lice are common and require prompt intervention.

3. Nutritional Deficiencies: Ensuring your birds get a well-balanced diet for optimal health and for producing high-quality eggs or meat is a crucial responsibility.

4. Seasonal Effects: Extreme weather conditions can severely impact chickens. They require additional care during winter, especially in freezing temperatures, and during hot summers they need ample shade and water.

5. Rooster Aggression: Roosters can become overly protective of their hens and exhibit aggressive behavior, which can lead to injuries. It’s essential to learn how to manage roosters effectively.

6. Zoning Restrictions: Local zoning ordinances might restrict the number of chickens you can keep, particularly roosters due to their crowing.

Knowing these aspects helps farmers develop effective strategies to tackle each specific challenge head-on and keep their flocks healthy and safe.

Non-GMO Grains for Chicken Feed

Choosing the right food for chickens plays a critical role in their health and the quality of eggs or meat they produce. Non-GMO grains provide a wealth of benefits, not just for the chickens, but also for the environment and consumers.

• Higher Nutritional Value: Non-GMO grains have a richer nutrient profile compared to genetically modified ones. They contain essential vitamins, minerals, and a good balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.
• Absence of Toxic Chemicals: GMOs are often associated with an increased use of pesticides and herbicides. Non-GMO grains, however, eliminate the potential ingestion of these harmful agents, providing a safer, more wholesome feed.
• Environmentally Friendly: By choosing non-GMO grains, farmers contribute to sustainable agriculture practices, preserving biodiversity and decreasing chemical use that can render soil infertile.
• Consumer Preference: With the rise in organic food consumption, customers overwhelmingly prefer eggs, poultry meat from chickens fed on non-GMO feed.

Choosing the non-GMO pathway ensures not only the health of your flock but also contributes to a healthier environment and satisfied consumers.

Locating Reliable Organic Chicken Farms

To ascertain the reliability of organic chicken farms, several factors warrant careful examination:

1. Certification: The most fundamental criterion, a credible farm should possess valid USDA Organic Certification, confirming adherence to stringent organic farming regulations.

2. Sustainable practices: These include rotation grazing, use of organic, non-GMO feed, and providing outdoor access.

3. Farm transparency: Consider farms that offer tours or at least fully disclose their farming practices.

4. Recommendations: Check customer reviews and rely on word-of-mouth references.

5. Local farmers’ markets: They often host trustworthy organic farmers.

6. Year-round supply: Consistency in providing organic chicken throughout the year indicates reliable organic practices.

FAQ

Is organic chicken farming profitable?

Organic chicken farming, when successfully conducted, can yield a profit margin of 60% to 70% per batch, potentially creating a profitable scenario especially in regions with sufficient snow-free days to manage up to three batches per year.

What do chickens eat on a organic farm?

On an organic farm, chickens consume a diet that includes whole corn, soft white wheat, hard red winter wheat, Diatomaceous Earth, hulled barley, oat groats, sunflower seeds, peanuts, wheat bran, split peas, lentils, quinoa, sesame seeds, and kelp.

How much does it cost to raise an organic chicken?

Raising an organic-fed and pasture-raised chicken, if you do it 200 at a time, costs around $40 to $45 per bird including expenses for raising, storing, and selling.

What are the essential regulations for running an organic chicken farm?

The essential regulations for running an organic chicken farm include providing the fowls access to outdoors, feeding them 100% organic feed, and avoiding the use of antibiotics or hormones.

How does the life cycle of an organic chicken differ from that of a conventionally raised bird?

Organic chickens live a naturally-paced lifecycle, having access to outdoors and good-quality organic feed, while conventionally raised chickens are often grown in crowded conditions, with accelerated growth hormones resulting in a significantly shorter lifecycle.

What impact does organic chicken farming have on the environment?

Organic chicken farming positively impacts the environment by reducing chemical pollution, fostering land biodiversity, and conserving natural resources.