Organic eggs

[Mac in Wisco]

On another note, the USDA has organic certification money available through individual states' ag departments. They will reimburse 75% of your annual costs up to $750. It is farm bill money, so it may not exist in the next farm bill.

 

[swmalone]

In my area at least, we see a premium for the farm fresh, free range, cage free. It seems that those that market organic do tend to charge a little more than the farm fresh or other non organic classification, but usually not a whole lot around here at least.

I don't have enough chickens to worry about selling eggs, I'm just happy to not have to buy eggs from the grocery store anymore, but I struggled to pay 4-5 dollars a dozen for some of the local eggs around here.

 

[Mia_]

Quote:
Are you working towards being certified?

Emphasis on the "If" and "would". We do not do enough business to be certified. Our pullets are 7 weeks old.

I am working towards having documentation of everything if/when we make enough to get certified. (vetrinary, fertilizer, etc.)

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Two of the biggest things are going be what you feed them and the area that they are free ranging in. They have to be fed organically from the second day of life. If they are fed otherwise they are ineligible for organic production. That means no conventional feed or scratch ever, no conventionally raised kitchen scraps, produce, odd and ends, etc. (Keep all feed receipts and labels). No non-organic medications, wormers, insecticides, etc. (Keep labels for all inputs). For the pasture area it needs to have been managed organically for the previous three years before certification. That means no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, manure from conventionally raised animals, recent seedings of non-organic seeds (especially GMOs), etc.