If you are wanting to raise your chickens organically or get your birds certified as organic you will need to meet these specific nutritional guidelines as well as other requirements as defined by the USDA. Organic feed is grown in soil that has not been treated with pesticides or USDA non approved fertilizers. Here are the basics of what your birds can and cannot eat if they are raised organic.
Nutrition requirements for organic raised poultry:
"Feed, Supplements, and Additives Organic poultry must be fed rations sufficient to meet nutritional requirements, including vitamins, minerals, protein and/or amino acids, fatty acids, energy sources, and fiber.
Agricultural ingredients must be certified organic.
Oyster shell may be used as a calcium supplement to strengthen eggshells.
"Feed, Supplements, and Additives Organic poultry must be fed rations sufficient to meet nutritional requirements, including vitamins, minerals, protein and/or amino acids, fatty acids, energy sources, and fiber.
Agricultural ingredients must be certified organic.
Oyster shell may be used as a calcium supplement to strengthen eggshells.
- All feed rations, additives, and supplements must be listed with complete brand name, formulation, and manufacturer in the producer’s Organic System Plan (OSP).
- Synthetic methionine is an amino acid that may be used in certified organic feed rations in limited quantities that are specified by the regulations (two pounds per ton of chickenfeed; three pounds per ton of turkey or other poultry feed). This level of use will be allowed until the sunset date on this regulation. (Please check with your certifier and the National Organic Program website to verify this date.)
- Organic poultry producers must not use animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits hormone use in all poultry production, whether organic or non-organic .)
- Organic producers must avoid products such as non-organic “medicated” chick starter, which includes antibiotics.
- Arsenic is included in some non-organic broiler feed as a feed stimulant and for protozoan parasite control. Arsenic should not be included in organic rations; its use is prohibited for organic crop production, so it must not be “applied” to organic land through poultry manure.
- Organic producers must not use feed supplements or additives in amounts above what is needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance.
- Organic regulations specify that it is prohibited to feed mammalian or poultry slaughter by-products to mammals or poultry, or to use any feed, feed additives, and feed supplements in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
- Although pasture is not required for organic poultry, outdoor access is required. Production systems that allow poultry to forage fulfill the requirement for outdoor access and can provide for healthy living conditions. Pasture-based systems can be certified organic when they use organic feed, preventative health care, and avoid prohibited materials.
- House-based systems are also permitted for organic production, provided they allow for access to the outdoors and direct sunlight, and otherwise fulfill all other regulatory requirements described below in Living Conditions." (Ann Baier, NCAT Agriculture Specialist. 2015).
Rules About Feed & Feed Additives For Organic Poultry
In order for your poultry to be certified organic everything your bird eats including the pastures where they are allowed to be outdoors and have access too must also be organic. In order to maintain organic status you would have to keep the birds on this strict diet and lifestyle, straying from it or raising them on regular feed or pasture would cause them to permanently lose organic status.
"Section 205.237 of the Final Rule requires 100% organic feed for all organic poultry. Feed is defined as “edible materials, which are consumed by livestock for their nutritional value. Feed may be concentrates (grains) or roughages (hay, silage, fodder). The term, “feed,” encompasses all agricultural commodities, including pasture ingested by livestock for nutritional purposes.” In other words, all agricultural components of the ration must be certified organic. Fields, including pastures used for organic poultry and lots used for outdoor access, must be certified.
Record Keeping for Feed Growers, Purchasing Feed and Feed Additives
Records must be kept of all farm-raised and purchased feed and feed additives. Crop producers who grow livestock feed for sale to organic poultry producers must be certified, and cannot sell their feed as organic under the $5000 small farmer exemption.
Allowed Non-Synthetic Natural Substances
Non-synthetic (natural) substances, such as oyster shells, calcium carbonate or fish meal; and synthetic substances that appear on the National List, may be used as feed additives and supplements. The only specific synthetic feed additive on the National List for poultry is DL-methionine. The National List allows the use of DL-Methionine, DL-Methionine-hydroxy analog, and DL-Methionine-hydroxy analog calcium (CAS #'s 59-51-8, 583-91-5, 4857-44-7, and 922-50-9) for organic poultry production at the following maximum levels of synthetic methionine per ton of feed:
Laying and broiler chickens—2 pounds
Turkeys and all other poultry—3 pounds.
Trace Minerals and Vitamins Are Allowed
FDA-approved trace minerals and vitamins are allowed in poultry rations, so long as they are not derived from slaughter byproducts and do not contain any genetically engineered ingredients, which are referred to as "excluded methods" in the NOP Final Rule.
NO Colorings, Flavorings, Dust Suppressants or Flowing Agents Are Allowed
No synthetic colorings, flavorings, dust suppressants, or flowing agents are allowed, since none appear on the National List.
Feed used for organic poultry production must not contain:
Animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth;
Feed supplements or additives in amounts above those needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance;
Plastic feed pellets;
Urea or manure;
Mammalian or poultry slaughter byproducts fed to mammals or poultry;
Feed, additives, or supplements in violation of the Food and Drug Administration; or
Feed or forage to which any antibiotic, including ionophores, has been added" (Requirements for Organic Poultry Production - eXtension. 2018)..
"Section 205.237 of the Final Rule requires 100% organic feed for all organic poultry. Feed is defined as “edible materials, which are consumed by livestock for their nutritional value. Feed may be concentrates (grains) or roughages (hay, silage, fodder). The term, “feed,” encompasses all agricultural commodities, including pasture ingested by livestock for nutritional purposes.” In other words, all agricultural components of the ration must be certified organic. Fields, including pastures used for organic poultry and lots used for outdoor access, must be certified.
Record Keeping for Feed Growers, Purchasing Feed and Feed Additives
Records must be kept of all farm-raised and purchased feed and feed additives. Crop producers who grow livestock feed for sale to organic poultry producers must be certified, and cannot sell their feed as organic under the $5000 small farmer exemption.
Allowed Non-Synthetic Natural Substances
Non-synthetic (natural) substances, such as oyster shells, calcium carbonate or fish meal; and synthetic substances that appear on the National List, may be used as feed additives and supplements. The only specific synthetic feed additive on the National List for poultry is DL-methionine. The National List allows the use of DL-Methionine, DL-Methionine-hydroxy analog, and DL-Methionine-hydroxy analog calcium (CAS #'s 59-51-8, 583-91-5, 4857-44-7, and 922-50-9) for organic poultry production at the following maximum levels of synthetic methionine per ton of feed:
Laying and broiler chickens—2 pounds
Turkeys and all other poultry—3 pounds.
Trace Minerals and Vitamins Are Allowed
FDA-approved trace minerals and vitamins are allowed in poultry rations, so long as they are not derived from slaughter byproducts and do not contain any genetically engineered ingredients, which are referred to as "excluded methods" in the NOP Final Rule.
NO Colorings, Flavorings, Dust Suppressants or Flowing Agents Are Allowed
No synthetic colorings, flavorings, dust suppressants, or flowing agents are allowed, since none appear on the National List.
Feed used for organic poultry production must not contain:
Animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth;
Feed supplements or additives in amounts above those needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance;
Plastic feed pellets;
Urea or manure;
Mammalian or poultry slaughter byproducts fed to mammals or poultry;
Feed, additives, or supplements in violation of the Food and Drug Administration; or
Feed or forage to which any antibiotic, including ionophores, has been added" (Requirements for Organic Poultry Production - eXtension. 2018)..
NOP Definition of Organic Production for Livestock & Poultry
Organic Production: "The NOP Final Rule defines organic production as "a production system that is managed…to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity." This means that, in order to be certified for organic production of livestock or poultry, producers must use cultural, biological, and/or mechanical practices and employ ecological principles, such as natural resource conservation and recycling of resources.
Livestock: Under the NOP Final Rule, livestock are defined as “any cattle, sheep, goat, swine, poultry, or equine animals used for the production of food, fiber, feed, or other agricultural-based consumer products; wild or domesticated game; or other non-plant life, except such term shall not include aquatic animals and bees for the production of food, fiber, feed, or other agricultural-based consumer products". (Requirements for Organic Poultry Production - eXtension. 2018).
Livestock: Under the NOP Final Rule, livestock are defined as “any cattle, sheep, goat, swine, poultry, or equine animals used for the production of food, fiber, feed, or other agricultural-based consumer products; wild or domesticated game; or other non-plant life, except such term shall not include aquatic animals and bees for the production of food, fiber, feed, or other agricultural-based consumer products". (Requirements for Organic Poultry Production - eXtension. 2018).
References:
Tipsheet: Organic Poultry Production for Meat and Eggs By Ann Baier, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Published July 2015. IP405 Slot 399. externalfile:drive-66481013e7cc5aac3265b6cdcae7e00ba0a49ed4/root/organic_poultry_meat_and_eggs.pdf Retrieved on April 7, 2018 from https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=519
Requirements for Organic Poultry Production - eXtension. (2018). Articles.extension.org. Retrieved 8 April 2018, from http://articles.extension.org/pages/69041/requirements-for-organic-poultry-production
Tipsheet: Organic Poultry Production for Meat and Eggs By Ann Baier, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Published July 2015. IP405 Slot 399. externalfile:drive-66481013e7cc5aac3265b6cdcae7e00ba0a49ed4/root/organic_poultry_meat_and_eggs.pdf Retrieved on April 7, 2018 from https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=519
Requirements for Organic Poultry Production - eXtension. (2018). Articles.extension.org. Retrieved 8 April 2018, from http://articles.extension.org/pages/69041/requirements-for-organic-poultry-production