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Feed
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By adding flax to hen rations,
some producers have capitalized on the ability to enrich eggs
with omega-3 fatty acids, which lower cholesterol and thus have
been linked to reduced risk of heart disease in humans.
- Photo by Ken Schneider |
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Most poultry diets contain corn for energy, soybeans for protein,
and vitamin and mineral supplements. In pasture systems, producers
do not include medications. (Look for poultry feed suppliers in
“Grit!,” the APPPA newsletter. See p. 16.)
Some range poultry producers mix their own feed. Recipes can be
found in books, World Wide Web sites and Internet listservs dedicated
to pastured and range poultry operations.
Other producers work with local mills to design the right custom
mix. David Bosle, who raises birds with no antibiotics in the feed,
has found a cooperative local mill that offers ingredients specifically
for him and other poultry producers around Hastings, Neb., who market
meat under a “natural” label.
Whatever route you take – purchasing ready-mixed feed, or
preparing your own blend – the cost will likely range between
nine and 18 cents per pound. Meat birds will ingest roughly 10 pounds
of feed apiece before reaching market weight, which means the cost
of feeding each commonly used Cornish Cross bird will range from
90 cents to $1.80 during its seven- to eight-week lifetime (or longer
for other breeds). Layers ingest similar amounts, but their useful
life spans are much longer.
When considering what feed to provide, consider:
 Organic
feeds are available from specialty suppliers. Expect to pay up
to five cents more per pound for them.
Some
feeds are medicated to combat coccidiosis, which is particularly
devastating to chicks. Producers who want to attach “natural”
labels to their products may want to avoid medicated feeds.
Feeds
can be ordered in various forms, such as cracked, mashed and pelletized.
Healthy debate rages as to which form is better utilized by pastured
birds. One point of agreement, however, is that chicks can choke
on feed that is too finely cracked or flaked.
For
more information see “Pastured Poultry Nutrition.”
Request a free copy from ATTRA, (800) 346-9140.
Breeds
Most pasture poultry producers have adopted the same breed as their
confinement counterparts: the Cornish/Rock cross breed of broiler
(commonly called the Cornish Cross). Developed for its large breast,
large appetite and rapid development, the Cornish Cross also boasts
a mild flavor that is familiar and appealing to most consumers.
Virginia farmer Harvey Ussery and his wife are experimenting with
hardier varieties of birds, such as Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth
Rocks. Even though those varieties take longer to reach market weights,
the meat boasts more flavor. Ussery wants to educate consumers about
alternatives to Cornish Cross. He says
the fast growth of the Cornish Cross strains their hearts, digestive
systems and bones. Moreover, birds more suited to foraging eat less
supplemental feed.
Ussery, writing in Grit!, the APPPA newsletter, details the problems
he encountered with the Cornish Cross variety. Cornish Cross chicks
from nearly all hatcheries in the country come from the same stock.
The variety, he argues, is ill-suited for raising outdoors because
it has been bred for confinement. Properties that make for good and efficient foragers, he says, have been “selected
out” because they are not needed.
The only appeal of the Cornish Cross, he says, is its ability
to arrive at market weight in a period of about seven weeks. Emphasis
on that single quality has neglected other important factors, such
as flavor, texture, and a bird’s ability to take full advantage
of all the benefits available to it on pasture.
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