Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (97 page)

All feed, except minerals and vitamins, must be organically produced. Nonsynthetic vitamins are preferred, but synthetic sources are allowed if nonsynthetics are not available. Animal by-products from mammals and poultry, such as meat and bone meal, may not be included in rations. Fish meal and crab meal are not permitted, because of the difficulty of
determining if they were organically produced. Synthetic amino acids are not permitted. Nonsynthetic nonagricultural products such as oyster shell and diatomaceous earth are permitted, provided they comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The handling of feed ingredients must comply with organic requirements. Solvent-extracted soybean meal, for example, is not permitted, while expelled soybeans are permitted, as are roasted and extruded soybeans. Premixed organic feeds are available but are usually expensive, especially if they must be shipped a long distance. The mill producing such feeds need not be dedicated organic but must implement a thorough cleanout before handling organic feed. Many organic poultry producers prefer to mix their own feeds. Some grow their own ingredients, others purchase ingredients from local certified-organic sources, and still others use a combination of the two.

No antibiotics or other drugs may be used to promote growth. Probiotics are typically used instead.

Physical alterations, such as beak trimming and toe trimming, are permitted if they promote the welfare of the animal and are “appropriately performed and within the context of an overall management system.” Caponizing, as surgery by a nonveterinarian, is not considered an “appropriately performed” procedure.

Living conditions must be established and maintained to “accommodate the health and natural behavior of animals, including access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air, and direct sunlight.” Continuous confinement in cages is not permitted, but temporary confinement is allowed if adequately justified (the justification being up to the certifying agency’s judgment), such as for hatchlings and for older birds during bad weather. Pasture confinement is open to interpretation, and some certifiers consider it unfavorable to natural behavior.

Access to the outdoors, according to an NOP policy statement, “simply means that a producer must provide livestock with an opportunity to exit any barn or other enclosed structure.” No required amount of outdoor access is specified, although some certifiers require a minimum of 8 hours per day or natural daylight, whichever is less. NOP standards call for outdoor areas to be free of pesticides for 3 years. Certifiers may additionally require these areas to be covered with vegetation and managed to prevent them from accumulating standing water or becoming bare.

Dusting areas must be provided.

Clean, dry bedding is required and, if of a type typically consumed by poultry, must meet organic feed requirements.

Chickens are not permitted to come into contact with pressure-treated lumber, including wood used to construct field pens.

Health-care measures must include preventive practices such as good nutrition and sanitation, healthy living conditions, and vaccinations. Antibiotics are not permitted. Synthetic parasiticides, including coccidiostats, are not permitted. Although some natural alternative products are allowed, health problems must be controlled primarily through good management. (You wouldn’t think this common sense notion would require federal guidelines.)

On the other hand, necessary medical treatment should not be withheld simply to preserve a chicken’s organic status. The bird should be medicated and, after observing the appropriate withdrawal period, sold in the conventional marketplace.