800-346-9140 SUSTAINABLE CHICKEN PRODUCTION Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION GUIDE ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information center funded by the USDA’s Rural Business -- Cooperative Service. Contents: Alternative Production Methods .................................................................................................................2 Free-range..............................................................................................................................................2 Pastured poultry...................................................................................................................................3 Semi-intensive.......................................................................................................................................3 “Yard and Coop”..................................................................................................................................4 Innovative..............................................................................................................................................5 Breeds for Pasture-Based Production ..........................................................................................................5 Flock Health for Alternative Poultry Production ......................................................................................6 General Management Concerns ...................................................................................................................8 Integrating Chickens onto the Farm ............................................................................................................8 Other Poultry in Sustainable Production....................................................................................................9 Further Resources...........................................................................................................................................9 Summary..........................................................................................................................................................10 References........................................................................................................................................................10 Enclosures........................................................................................................................................................11 Resource Section .............................................................................................................................................12 Introduction In the industry, usually large, loose-litter houses are used for broiler production. Layers are Selling "farm-fresh" chicken and eggs is a usually kept in small cages with 3 to 4 birds in marketing opportunity for enterprising farmers. each. In "sustainable poultry production," These farmers raise chickens on outdoor range alternatives to confinement housing and cages or in existing farm buildings to keep overhead are considered, such as access to range. costs low. Little or no medication is used in the Preventative management to maintain health is feed. Market potential exists for products from emphasized instead of routine medication. poultry raised in what consumers consider to be Nonconventional processing and marketing "natural" environments. channels may be explored as part of alternative production. Poultry production can be a low- Per-capita consumption of poultry products has capital farm diversification strategy. climbed dramatically as large integrators have Sustainable agriculture stresses environmentally made poultry among the "best buys" at the sound and economically viable approaches to supermarket. Each U.S. citizen ate an average of agriculture, and focuses on low-input strategies 97 lbs. of poultry and 234 eggs in 1993 (1). and support of rural communities by However, many consumers are also interested in maintaining the family farm. homegrown poultry. Some consumers consider homegrown poultry more "natural" than A common feature of alternative production industry-raised poultry; others want to support models includes access to range. Access to family farms and locally produced goods. range can help reduce feed costs, reduce stress ATTRA // SUSTAINABLE CHICKEN PRODUCTION Page 1 compared to confinement, and provide a Most of these models feature access to pasture marketing advantage for certain market but with modifications. Simply turning the segments. An alternative poultry production chickens loose to run free on the farm may be strategy can reduce health problems and fine for a family flock, but not to produce eliminate routine medication. This adds to the poultry commercially. marketing advantage since some consumers want birds raised with no pharmaceuticals in Free-range the diet. Poultry manure can add fertility to the pasture and the manure is spread directly onto "Free-range" refers to operations using the field, eliminating waste disposal problems. moveable housing and access to pasture. In Many pasture-based systems are seasonal— free-range operations, portable houses or pens young birds need to be fully feathered before are moved regularly so that chickens may forage putting them out on pasture. These systems grass, seeds, and insects. Maximum stocking tend to be low cost and require little capital for density should be 200 birds per acre (3). start-up. Pasture-based systems are widely used in Europe on a large scale. Some free-range operations have automatic watering systems in the field and specially The focus of this publication is alternative constructed feeders to protect feed from the chicken production. General information on weather. The pasture area may be tightly small-scale poultry production is already fenced to keep predators from entering; portable available from many sources such as books, housing provides safety at night. magazines, and Extension publications. Information on general topics—such as setting Ohio farmer Herman Beck-Chenoweth (4) uses a hens, brooding, culling, etc.—can be obtained free-range model to produce broilers. Long from these sources. Some small-scale chicken portable houses (skids), which hold up to 400 books listed at the end of this publication in the broilers each, are towed by tractor every few Resources Section. weeks to new locations in the pasture. The wooden skids are enclosed with chicken wire This publication is part of a series on sustainable with litter–covered floors, tarp-covered gable chicken production. Please also see the ATTRA roofs, and doors on both ends. Concentrate feed publications Sustainable Egg Production, costs are reduced by access to range. He uses Feeding Chickens, Processing and Marketing Cornish cross broilers and finds that they range Chicken Products: Meat and Eggs. about 100 feet away from the skids. The only fencing required is a strong perimeter fence to keep out neighbors' dogs. Predation at night is Alternative Production Methods not a problem if the chicken wire is tightly attached to the skid; during the day, the birds The terms for alternative poultry operations are run back to the skid if threatened. Since the loosely defined in the U.S. Countries in the birds are never confined, except at night for European Community (EC) have specific criteria safety, this model appeals to those interested in defined by EC trading standards regulations in animal welfare issues. In order to use this free- order to label eggs as free range, semi-intensive, range model, you need a tractor, draft horse, or deep litter, perchery, etc. (2); however, for the a strong pick-up to move the skid. Beck- purposes of this publication, the following Chenoweth’s model is described in great detail operations are described: in his book Free-Range Chicken Production and • free-range Marketing (4). He also edits a newsletter called • pastured poultry the Free-Range Forum. • semi-intensive • “yard and coop” There are many modifications of free-range, • innovative especially “protected free-range,” such as field ATTRA // SUSTAINABLE CHICKEN PRODUCTION Page 2 pens that are regularly moved to fresh pasture. includes information on brooding, pen One that has received a lot of attention is “the construction, feeding, pasture management, pastured poultry model” (discussed below). processing, and marketing. The book and a There are also many models of free-range egg video can be ordered from The Stockman Grass production, such as the “eggmobile,” discussed Farmer (7). in the ATTRA publication Sustainable Egg Production. In response to growing interest about the pastured poultry model, an organization called Pastured poultry the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) (8)was formed in 1996. "Pastured poultry" is a term used to describe a APPPA was formed to help producers network modification of free-range—a field pen where for information, used processing equipment, etc. the grazing area and bird density is strictly Membership costs $20 per year and includes a controlled. Joel Salatin (5) has developed this subscription to the newsletter Grit! The innovative model in which broilers are pastured newsletter editor is Diane Kaufman (8), a in floorless pens, which are moved daily to fresh longtime pastured poultry producer—contact pasture. Seventy-five to one hundred chicks Kaufman for more information on APPPA and (two to four weeks old) are placed in 10' x 12' x to join. 2' pens. The pens follow a