Poultry Your Way - Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems ...

MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES
ORGANIC
Health and Welfare. In accordance with the National Organic Standards, poultry growers are responsible
for ensuring the health of their flocks by: (1) designing housing and feeding areas so as to prevent predation and
injury; and (2) developing an organically acceptable plan for preventing and treating disease.
Your plan for preventing disease and other illness can include sanitizing incubators, disinfecting brooder houses,
and using a nutritionally balanced feed. Routine vaccinations are permitted as a preventive measure against
common avian diseases such as Marek’s, Newcastle, and coccidiosis.
In the event that your birds become sick or injured, organic certifiers encourage the use of “alternative medicine”
for treatment, since the majority of conventional medicines are not allowed under the National Organic Standards.
As noted by NCAT specialists, however, farmers’ expertise in using alternative medicines is limited. When there is
no other recourse, antibiotics and other conventional treatments are required to preserve the health of the sick
or injured bird. In such instances, the treated bird(s) may never be marketed as “organic” and the birds must be
physically identified as “nonorganic” using bands or by separation from organic birds.
NCAT suggests finding a veterinarian who shares or supports your interest in organic production. “With such a
vet as your … partner, it is much easier to develop treatment strategies that are holistic and NOP compliant, and
that avoid the accidental use of prohibited medicines when suitable alternatives are available” (NCAT, 2004).
A comprehensive resource for alternative poultry medicine and practices is Remedies for Health Problems of
the Organic Laying Flock. This compendium addresses preventive care and health concerns using nutritional
management and herbal and homeopathic remedies. The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow describes
how pathogens and parasites are spread—information that can aid you in developing preventive disease strategies.
Damerow also makes recommendations for preventive measures (by stage of production) and treatment (mostly
conventional) (see Resources under Poultry Health and Welfare).
Labor. Due to recordkeeping requirements, organic poultry production may be the most labor intensive of all
management systems. Recordkeeping is critical to ensure organic integrity and traceability. The National Organic
Standards do not explicitly state the type and number of records required; this will depend on the complexity of
your operation and on your certifier. Most organic growers maintain some or all of the following records:
• Pasture maps with pen numbers and/or rangeland units
• Accurate history sheets for fields, pastures, and breeding stock
• Soil and water test reports
• Verification of the organic status of chicks (if applicable), pullets, feed, seeds, and other purchases
• Documentation of efforts to procure organic inputs (when not used)
• Forage crop pest and disease monitoring reports
• Production logs and activity reports
• Flock health records: vaccination dates, mortalities, etc.
• Labels from vaccines and any other medications or health inputs (electrolytes)
• Breeding records
• Labels from sanitizers and cleansers
• Labels from purchased feed and feed supplements
• Equipment, storage, and housing cleanout logs
• Slaughter and processing records or verification of organic certification of slaughter facilities
• Sales receipts or invoices
• Sales records
Talk with other organic poultry growers—find out how much time they spend tracking feed and supplements
used, recording paddock rotations, and generally preparing for their meetings with certifiers.
Poultry Your Way 87
MANAGEMENT
ALTERNATIVES