Raising Organic Chickens for Eggs

[PhillyDelcoChix]

I'd find something to use for lice and mites now, and have it on hand. Not sure if permethrin fits your standards for 'organic'... but it certainly works to kill an infestation

<raiseshand> Have read too many stories of birds with terrible infestations of lice and/or mites and the keepers that say "but I use DE".
A good dust bath with plain old sandy dirt will go a long way as a preventative...as well as keeping rodents and wild birds away from your chickens.

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @PhillyDelcoChix
Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1998731

Very informative, thanks for all the advice and info

 

[ColoradoPip]

I am organic farming, following the USDA rules as a baseline and also incorporating many aspects of what most would consider humane animal treatment. I have also since learned there are many other certifications that someone could obtain such as Cage Free, Certified Humane, etc. (see more here: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-decipher-egg-carton-labels). There are also many fake labels, like "beyond organic" and "natural" which muddies the waters a bit.

I have read through the USDA organic certification guidelines and process about 100 times

It's actually pretty straightforward until you want to use chemicals, which being organic, should be limited! I believe they are an excellent baseline for the things that I want my farm to represent, but they do not go far enough in the animal husbandry/care side.

I don't see any organic chicken raising threads so maybe this one can become the go-to for information!

 

[Molpet]

1# of elemental sulfur to 10# of dust bath material mentioned before....is an oldtime method to help keep mites and lice away.
Study done in confinement https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/18/battling-chicken-mites-with-bags-of-brimstone/

 

[PhillyDelcoChix]

I am organic farming, following the USDA rules as a baseline and also incorporating many aspects of what most would consider humane animal treatment. I have also since learned there are many other certifications that someone could obtain such as Cage Free, Certified Humane, etc. (see more here: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-decipher-egg-carton-labels). There are also many fake labels, like "beyond organic" and "natural" which muddies the waters a bit.

I have read through the USDA organic certification guidelines and process about 100 times

It's actually pretty straightforward until you want to use chemicals, which being organic, should be limited! I believe they are an excellent baseline for the things that I want my farm to represent, but they do not go far enough in the animal husbandry/care side.

I don't see any organic chicken raising threads so maybe this one can become the go-to for information!

Woo hoo!
That would be amazing!
I have been interested in organic farming, on my mini farm ie backyard, and also when buying meat, eggs, and cheese because I believe the animals are treated better, fed more naturally, and live a much happier, more peaceful life. And happy animals means healthier meat.
I hate thinking about how awfully chickens who are factory farmed are treated and live before they end up in the grocery store.
But honestly, I really wanted some advice on what else I can do to ensure our chickens are being raised as what the USDA considers “organic”.
Aside from what they eat, are you providing them anything additional like antibiotics, etc?

 

[ColoradoPip]

I am not vaccinating or using antibiotics. If someone gets sick enough to need it, then they get pulled from the flock because they are no longer organic.

Just to be clear, USDA organic guidelines only ensures the animals are treated to a minimum standard. A lot of chicken keepers would likely see those minimum standards as not good enough. If you are not familiar with the guidelines I suggest spending some time reading over them.

Here is a link:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-i...c03f7127d7b73&mc=true&node=pt7.3.205&rgn=div5
The USDA guidelines are the basis but not standard for the setting the bar. They do not specify things like sq. ft. per animal or how much outside time or access the animal has. (If someone else can find it in there, please correct me)

There is so much misinformation out there about this program. It's not hard to read the guidelines and then you know exactly what you are getting!

Bottom line is, what are you wanting to get out of "organic"? How far are you willing to go? What does organic mean to you?

I think the answers to those questions will vary from poster to poster and will help determine your level of organic-ness (can I trademark that word?! ).

 

[PhillyDelcoChix]

I am not vaccinating or using antibiotics. If someone gets sick enough to need it, then they get pulled from the flock because they are no longer organic.

Just to be clear, USDA organic guidelines only ensures the animals are treated to a minimum standard. A lot of chicken keepers would likely see those minimum standards as not good enough. If you are not familiar with the guidelines I suggest spending some time reading over them.

Here is a link:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-i...c03f7127d7b73&mc=true&node=pt7.3.205&rgn=div5
The USDA guidelines as the standard as the basis but not standard for the setting the bar. They do not specify things like sq. ft. per animal or how much outside time or access the animal has. (If someone else can find it in there, please correct me)

There is so much misinformation out there about this program. It's not hard to read the guidelines and then you know exactly what you are getting!

Bottom line is, what are you wanting to get out of "organic"? How far are you willing to go? What does organic mean to you?

I think the answers to those questions will vary from poster to poster and will help determine your level of organic-ness (can I trademark that word?! ).

Yes. Trademarked!