Question answered about organic chicks, thanks.

[skalskoz]

My wife and I are brand new to all of this. She is demanding that we get organic chicks. I am having a hard time explaining to her that they are organic as a result of what we would give or feed them. Am I wrong? Please help.

 

[Juise]

They'll become organic as a result of what you feed them and how you keep them, but technically they are, at the moment, probably eating non-organic, possibly medicated, feed and were laid by a non-organic hen. If you wanted chicks that were completely organic to start with, they would need to have come from eggs laid by an organic hen and be eating organic starter feed. But as long as you feed them organic and keep them in accordance with organic standards they will become organic. Everything in them now will leave their system.

If she is concerned about the eggs they will eventually lay, everything in them now will be totally out of their systems by then. We are planning on making our chickens organic, but on the recommendation of a number of people have gotten them conventional standard medicated starter feed to make sure they pull through. I don't know enough to argue with that, I was told if I did not I would almost definitely lose at least a couple.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

We don't use medicated chick starter, vaccinate or any type of medicine or 'booster' on our chicks and they are all thriving so far. Mine will be organic free range as well.

I'm not sure about the rules for selling them as organic though. I know for dairy farms to go organic, they have to be chemical free for many years before they can be certified. I don't know if there is a holding period, or you can just say they are organic eggs. If so, you may want to start them on organic chick starter when they arrive.

The above person is right, what they eat now won't be in the eggs they produce for you months from now.

 

[Juise]

Yeah, I am not sure about certification. Last I checked there were different rules depending on how much you're selling, too. As far as plants go, fields have to be chemical free for quite a number of years before anything can be considered organic. I would have thought it would be different for animals, since chemicals are gone from their bodies quickly, unlike soil or water sources. If you're talking about wanting certifiable organic, you'll have to really look into that. If you're talking about organic chickens just because you think it's best, I wouldn't worry about getting conventional chicks.

 

[joeyg4583]

I am not sure about it but I think to be considered organic they have to be on organic feed by two days old