Pastured Poultry Raising Chickens in a Grass-Based System Erin Campbell-Craven, Livestock Program Assistant Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture What is Pastured Poultry? Pastured poultry ≠ free range! • “free range” is a marketing term • “Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.” – USDA Food Labeling fact sheet • Outside could be pavement, gravel, rocks, dirt… not necessarily pasture What is Pastured Poultry? Pastured poultry ≠ organic • Feed must be organic • No use of hormones or antibiotics • Environmental regulations • NO pasture regulations for poultry, only ruminants Pastured poultry are… • Raised on FRESH pasture for most of their lives • Given access to sunshine • Usually frequently rotated • Less crowded (enclosure space per bird 1-2ft²) • Fed either non-organic or organic feed – Pastured poultry NEED feed or planted grains supplementation to thrive and produce (diet is only about 10% grass) • Often slower-growing, heritage breeds Types of Pastured Poultry • Broiler systems • Layer systems Broiler systems • Raise from chick to slaughter in 8-12 weeks • Usually kept in confined chicken tractors • Moved often • Often processed on site • OK allows home-processing without licensing UP TO 1000 birds/year – only allows sales to household consumers – must process at USDA-certified plant to sell across state lines, contract with stores, restaurants • Darp Processing Plant – Tahlequah, OK Layer systems • More often free-range or surrounded by electric fence & locked up at night • Need more space – Higher frequency of cannibalism/pecking in layers – Will be in production for years, not weeks • Egg-mobiles • Easiest to sell directly on-farm to consumers – OK laws governing egg sales are stricter than federal laws! Why Pastured Poultry? • Waste control • Fewer health problems – Heat stress – Cannibalism/pecking issues • Pasture improvement through use of manure • Health benefits/Tastiness of eggs & meat Pastured eggs have… • Thicker albumen (egg white) • Darker orange yolk Pastured Eggs vs. Non-pastured Eggs Pastured eggs have: • 1/3 less cholesterol • 1/4 less saturated fat • 2/3 more vitamin A • 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids • 3 times more vitamin E • 7 times more beta carotene http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10- 01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx#ixzz27LvkfgLn [...]... Benefits of Pastured Poultry • Ethical concerns • Appealing appearance of flock to customers You’re not just marketing a product, you are marketing a way of life! Pastured Poultry Challenges • Weather – Heat stress – Cold stress • Parasites – Midges – avoid having poultry near boggy spots • Predator control – Electric fence – Livestock Guardian Dogs Heifer Ranch Pastured Poultry • • • • • • Raised 1000... be herded into the trailers easily – had to walk up narrow, steep ramp to access trailer doors • Had to be individually caught and manually placed inside the trailers – Too stressful for birds • Already over 100 degrees in beginning of June – couldn’t shut birds up inside trailers to acclimate • Roamed widely as soon as they were placed in pasture – Not trained to electric fence 2011 “Learning Experience”:... Perfect for pulling over beds or rows to fertilize garden pre-planting 2011 “Learning Experience” • 100 Golden Wyandottes and Dominiques placed on pasture at 8 weeks in June 2011 • Surrounded by electric fence and locked up at night to limit roaming and predation 2011 “Learning Experience” 2011 “Learning Experience”: Problems Faced • Birds did not recognize the trailers as their place to roost • Could... “Learning Experience”: Lessons Learned • Start over! • Order 40 chicks, not 100 • Raise chicks in trailers – “Home base” will decrease roaming • Put chicks on pasture as young as possible – Acclimate to weather before summer • Place wire panels on either side of ramp leading to trailer door to herd birds into trailer • Move trailers frequently to limit roaming, predation ... broilers/year for kitchen Processed on site Cornish cross shipped at one-day old On pasture at 3 weeks, processed at 8 weeks Production from early spring to late fall Non-medicated feed (chick starter for first 2 weeks) Kerr Center Pastured Poultry Project 2009-2010 Chicken Tractor 2009-2010 Chicken Tractor • • • • Can house 6-8 birds year-round Easily moved with an ATV or other vehicle Generally moved . Pastured Poultry Raising Chickens in a Grass-Based System Erin Campbell-Craven, Livestock Program Assistant Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. What is Pastured Poultry? Pastured poultry ≠ free range! • “free range” is a marketing term • “Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry