Home > A closer look at Organic Poultry Farming
Recently, two TV programmes have investigated the welfare and health of chickens. Channel 4's 'Dispatches' team found evidence of questionable welfare standards in chicken broiler houses by discovering the existance of hockburns which come from sitting in litter.
Two weeks ago, the BBC TV 'Real Story' programme investigated antibiotic resistance in
chickens and created headlines screaming 'SUPERBUGS FOUND IN CHICKENS' the next day. No tests were conducted on organic chickens.
Living Ethically decided to invite Clyro Hill Farm and Providence Farm Organic Meats to tell us about the lifestyles of their organically reared chickens. We wanted to know more about their practices and philosophies to see the effect this could have upon the chickens. We found their comments insightful and reassuring and we feel we possess a good idea of what it means to eat an organic chicken now.
If you want to learn about the conditions of broiler reared chickens the RSPCA can tell you.
Clyro Hill Farm
Clyro, Hereford HR3 6JU Tel: 01497 820520
e-mail: info@clyrohillfarm.co.uk
Owners: Sally and Tony Herdman and son Penry.
Q: Describe your farm to us.
A:
Mixed organic farm. We rear and sell direct our own Hereford beef, Welsh lamb, Chickens Turkeys, Geese, Duck Guinea Fowl, Eggs and occasionally pork. All livestock is in small numbers as we only have 55 acres.
Q: How long have you farmed organically?
A: We have been farming organically since we bought the land in 2000. We now have our own homebred stock and are 100% organic.
We are registered with Organic Farmers and Growers.
Q: What breeds of chicken do you rear, and how big are your flocks?
A:
We rear Light Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Speckeldy and Welsummer laying hens and the meat poultry is a cross based on the Light Sussex.
The largest flock we have is the turkeys which are approximately 150. All the other poultry is in flocks of 30-40.
Q: How old are your chickens when they go to slaughter?
A: The chickens are a minimum of 84 days at slaughter and the turkeys, guinea fowl and geese are at least 180 days. We do not push the flocks at all and usually the birds are several weeks older than this. We hand pluck and dress all the poultry on the farm so there is no stress and travelling involved.
Q: Describe the lifestyle of your chickens, and what you feed them on.
A: The chicks are brooded under heat lamps or a broody hen if we have one in small mobile sheds. The sheds are moved around the fields on a weekly basis. If the weather is fine the chicks are given access to grass outside their sheds from day one. If it is winter or very wet we keep them inside until they have some feathers to protect them. Once they know which is their home and are fully feathered, we let the poultry have free-range over all the farm (except my vegetable garden!!!) We do get them back in at night to safe guard from predators.
The poultry is fed an organic cereal based pellet food from Hi Peak Feeds and organic whole grains such as corn and barley and oats. These are from our organic neighbours who grow crops as they are on lower ground than us. This feed supplements their foraging and their need is higher in the winter than in the summer months when there is plenty of grasses and wild food.
Q: Can you explain your philosophy to us? Why do you farm organically?
A: We farm in this way because we wanted to produce the highest quality of food in an animal welfare friendly way. We also wanted to ensure that we produced food in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner.
Q: Do you have any other thoughts and views you would like to express?
A: We have our website where everyone can get more information and anyone is welcome to visit us. We aim to sell all that we produce direct to the customer, so that they know where the food has come from and can see for themselves the standards we achieve. We believe that the natural free-range slow grown lifestyle of all our animals translates into a wonderful taste on the dinner table!
Providence Farm Organic Meats.
Crosspark Cross, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 6JW
Owners: Pammy and Ritchie Riggs
Q: Describe your farm to us.
A: Exceedingly small, 18 acres mixed animal farm, pigs, 5 sows and progeny, approx 1000 birds, mostly meat birds but a handful of ducks, geese and layers, and 5 beefies. Own on farm humane slaughter facilities for poultry, on farm butchery and farm shop. We sell everything direct to the customer.
Q: How long have you farmed organically?
A: We achieved full organic status in 1998, with the Soil Association.
Our meat birds all come from ORGANIC PARENTS who free-range outdoors, very unusual.
Q: What breeds of chicken do you rear, and how big are your flocks?
A: We rear hybrid Jay Pac and mastergris crosses of French origin. Max 180 birds in a group.
Q: How old are your chickens when they go to slaughter?
A: On average, 88-90 days.
Q: Describe the lifestyle of your chickens, and what you feed them on.
A: Their lifestyle is delightful, raised with their psychological needs to the fore. They are introduced to outdoor life from as young as 3 days old, false jungle canopies give the confidence to range and a wide variety of food given early to acclimatise gut flora to aid digestion.
Unusual again, we feed 100% ORGANIC feed (most organic birds are on an 80% organic ration)
Q: Can you explain your philosophy to us? Why do you farm organically?
A: We have set out to prove that it is possible to make a living farming pigs and poultry humanely and believe that we have made that point here at Providence Farm. In 7 years of continuous poultry farming, by applying common sense e.g. the organic principle of rotation and farming for positive health we have never used an allopathic medicine for our meat birds. I could go on and on! We couldn't farm any other way.
Q: Do you have any other thoughts and views you would like to express?
A: It is unfortunate that the industrial poultry industry has taken an interest in organic poultry, as it continually lobbies to dilute the organic standards. Providence Farm can only produce a small number of birds but has in place an organic consultancy service whereby their methods and ideology can be taught to others who wish to farm poultry in an ethical and profitable way. We take responsibility for our bird to the last and kill them on farm. Individual hand stunning, dry plucking, hanging the carcass long legged and cold evisceration is acknowledged to be the MOST HYGIENIC way to prepare a bird for the table.
We also win prizes for them being the tastiest!!
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