Raising chickens the organic way

For many, keeping a few chickens in their back garden is the first step to the quintessential dream of living ‘the good life’. Whether simply wishing to keep a few hens for a supply of eggs for family and friends, or hoping to rear a few chickens for the table, going the extra mile, living life and raising chickens the organic way is what many aspire to.

Feeding organically – The Organic Feed Company

While feeding is just one aspect of rearing and keeping chickens organically, it is an important yet easy way to begin living the organic life. The Organic Feed Company is one example of a company who uses only the finest ingredients to produce nutritious feeds, each of which carries full Soil Association approval, ensuring quality and traceability throughout.

From hatching to the age of 6-8 weeks, chicks will need Organic Chick Crumb on a free access basis. The next step is to ensure a smooth changeover to the Organic Poultry Grower/Finisher and it is recommended to gradually mix the two feeds together from the age of about 6 weeks. These can be fed either to finish, if you are rearing your own organic meat, or until about 16-18 weeks if the aim is for your chickens to provide you with your own supply of scrumptious organic eggs. From the age of about 16 weeks, most chickens are classed as adult birds and can be fed an adult diet; there is the choice of Organic Layers Crumble or Organic Layers Pellets, depending on personal preference. Once again, this change in diet should be done gradually, over a couple of weeks.

Organic Layers Crumble is an alternative to the usual Mash found on the market; unlike Mash, each crumb is uniform so chickens cannot selective feed (choose their favourite ingredients and leave the rest), which means they have a more balanced diet. The fact the crumbs are slightly bigger and weightier than Mash means reduced wastage and less mess.

The Organic Layers Pellets are smaller than many pellets available, being just 2.5mm in diameter. Not only does this make them well suited to smaller breeds of chickens and bantams, but it also acts as a boredom breaker for bigger birds – the birds do not eat more by weight, but it takes them longer to eat, meaning they are kept occupied for a longer period.

Not forgetting that even organic chickens like to be spoilt from time to time, Organic Mixed Corn is also available! As ever, grit is essential for the chicken’s digestion and an appropriate size of grit for the age of bird should be provided. Providing insoluble grit and access to water during daylight hours are two stipulations the Soil Association make in order to classify your birds as organic.

 

Are all organic feeds the same?

The simple answer to this is ‘No’. Some organic feeds may contain up to 30% of in-conversion ingredients. Land has to be farmed organically for several years before it can truly be described as organic, however, after the first year, produce from this land can be labelled as ‘in-conversion’ and included in feeds for organic use. Additionally, some organic feeds could contain up to 5% of non-organic ingredients. This 5% could include extremely concentrated protein sources such as Prairie Meal or Potato Protein, both of which are extracted dried by-products from the manufacturing process of starch.

This is where it pays to do some research, but be rest assured that the Organic Feed Company only ever uses ingredients farmed from organic land – so no in-conversion ingredients – ensuring there are no chemical residues in our feeds. We only ever use 100% organic agricultural ingredients so you can be certain that our feeds are truly organic.

 

Is it just about feeding?

Feeding chicks through to adulthood on an organic smallholding follows much the same process as home produced non organic birds, however the difference in these two methods of rearing chickens involves much more than simply feeding organic feed. To raise truly organic chickens or produce organic eggs, your land ought to be organic too. Looking after the soil is of huge importance in organic farming; using natural fertilisers like manure and carrying out crop rotations rather than using chemical fertilisers or weed killers are good ways of looking after your land without the use of artificial pesticides.

Animal welfare and good husbandry also play an important role in raising chickens the organic way. As well as being fed a diet as natural as possible and never being given growth promoting or productivity enhancing hormones, all organically reared animals should enjoy ample space (to help reduce stress and disease) and have the option of free ranging (weather and ground conditions dependant). Drugs or vaccines will not be used routinely, which makes it even more important you take care to carry out good husbandry.

Organic produce

We all love to spoil family and friends with any eggs or meat surplus to our needs, though when promoting produce as organic, strict guidelines set by European Law are in place. The UK has some of the most stringent organic regulations in the world and it is a condition that any product labelled as organic is certified by a DEFRA approved control body. Anything labelled ‘organic’ intended for human consumption must meet these standards, which include all aspects of food production; animal welfare, wildlife conservation, food processing and packaging for example. One example of a DEFRA approved control body is the Soil Association, which is the UK’s largest organic certification body responsible for certifying over 70% of all organic products sold in the country and certifies organic food and farming amongst others.

Organic produce – Laying birds

If you want to convert a flock you already have on your holding to produce organic eggs, they must be kept to the Soil Association standards for at least six weeks before you can sell their eggs as organic (if you are being accredited by the Soil Association). With their permission, you may bring in non-organic pullets before they are 18 weeks old, although they must have been reared to the veterinary and feed standards detailed by the Soil Association. If you bring in non-organic pullets you must manage them organically from the time they arrive on your smallholding and for at least six weeks before they can produce organic eggs. Birds which originate from caged systems, or whose beaks have been clipped or tipped are not permitted to be organic by the Soil Association.

Organic produce – Meat birds

Under the Soil Association guidelines, for poultry destined for the table to have organic status you must use organic chicks (from organically managed parents) when they are available, however with permission and when organic chicks are not available, you may bring in non-organic chicks under three days old. These must be managed organically from then for at least 10 weeks before you can sell them as organic.

Full and extensive guidelines from the Soil Association can be found on the Soil Association website.

 

While there are many aspects of rearing chickens and producing eggs organically, as the smallholder you have the distinct advantage of knowing exactly what has, and importantly hasn’t, been used on your land. It follows that you know where your chickens have been raised, what they will have been foraging on and therefore what will be in the eggs you are eating, or the meat on your table. Importantly for many organic smallholders, you can rest easy that you have done your bit in looking after the planet and its eco-systems.