Question about organic feeding.

[Henriettamom919]

Morning everyone!

So both my older girls and my babies eat an all organic feed (scratch n peck) and their supplements are organic as well (oyster shell, fermented alfalfa). We eat organic produce so even their scrap treats are organic 99% of the time.

Having said that, on occasion, my daughter will share her Goldfish crackers, my son will give them a bit of crushed tortilla chip from his hand, etc.

Being as we'll soon be drowning in eggs ( my three older lay EVERY.SINGLE.DAY, even through several feet of snow back in Feb.) I plan on giving eggs away. We have a few folks here in town who set up little tables with an info sheet and a donation box. If people can, they pay but if not then at least people in need have access to quality eggs! I plan on doing this.

So, my question is, are my eggs "organic" despite the occasional cracker treat or should I just avoid that terminology? My three older roam our grassy acre all day and roost in their coop in a fenced in garden at night.

 

[paneubert]

Technically not organic. Due to the crackers and goldfish. Also if you have used any non organic products on the lawn or garden for....I think it is a 3 year period?

 

[paneubert]

You could say cage free/free range. Maybe work in something about how they graze in the grass all day.

You could fudge the statement a bit and say that their feed is organic.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

you can call their eggs cage free, free range, organic feed

 

[Henriettamom919]

Great to know! Thanks, all!

I'm not looking to paint an organic picture for any specific reason, I was just genuinely curious ☺
They certainly eat healthier than I do

 

[PirateGirl]

Your specific state (or country) will have strict labeling guidelines as well as handling guidelines for any eggs you sell. This would be a good starting point. Some generic phrases can generally be used without having to adhere to any regulations, things like home grown or laid with love or farm fresh, but to label something organic that is a food product for sale you'd have to meet the legal definitions, and for organic, your birds won't cut it. Even cage free, free range, and pasture raised have specific requirements by the USDA in terms of how much square footage bird have and how much time they have access to outdoors/pasture etc.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Technically not organic. Due to the crackers and goldfish. Also if you have used any non organic products on the lawn or garden for....I think it is a 3 year period?

^ This. I try to follow organic standards with my chickens but they definitely would not be certified organic. Assuming your area has no restrictions on certain terms (in some counties/states you can't even use terms like farm fresh) I'd probably just label them homegrown, grown on our homestead, something like that. Then on the info sheet you can explain they've primarily had an organic diet, that the hens are allowed to freely access your acre, etc. Include a little bio about your chickens if you want, people who'd buy homegrown eggs would probably love to know things like which hen laid what egg.

 

[chkva]

They're not organic just because of the crackers or what not they eat occasionally that's not organic. When labeling you could use labels like organic fed free range, Homegrown organic fed, or cage free organic fed, but don't say organic eggs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

When labeling you could use labels like organic fed free range, Homegrown organic fed, or cage free organic fed, but don't say organic eggs.

I believe "cage free" and "free range" are USDA regulated, so even though the OP's chickens are living in better conditions than that, it may not be something that can go on the carton.

 

[chkva]

I believe "cage free" and "free range" are USDA regulated, so even though the OP's chickens are living in better conditions than that, it may not be something that can go on the carton.

I've seen it numerous times at poultry swaps, but maybe these people are rule breakers. I don't label my eggs at all, I just give them to people and they know exactly where they come from. I think labels are just for shoe at the grocery store, most of those eggs meet a BARE minimum and some would be shocked how cage free and free range chickens truly live! They don't live like free range chickens in a backyard and they're surely aren't running on acres of land.