Pastured Poultry

[DexterManCx100]

Hey folks. First thread I’ve posted so go easy on me. I am keen to follow my grass fed dexter cattle with grass fed broilers. If any of you are familiar with Richard Perkins and his book “Regenerative agriculture” he is a great advocate for it. Improving the land as the broilers eat the grass and manure as they go.

My question is, can I home slaughter chicken and what are the implications. Any advice would be great, thanks!

 

[tepapa]

Yes you can home slaughter but if your looking to sell then you'll need to speak to environmental health in the council, who will put you off the idea?.
There is a threshold number, something like 2500 or it could be 10,000 rings a bell over which you need ministry vet involved.

 

[7610 super q]

Foxes. Fencing. Mudbath. Rats. Getting feed out. Water. Frozen Pipes. Shelters from air predators.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Foxes. Fencing. Mudbath. Rats. Getting feed out. Water. Frozen Pipes. Shelters from air predators.

The pastured poultry model the OP refers to is generally a seasonal system with mobile "pens" which should avoid most of the issues you mention.

 

[Chasingmytail]

Joel Salatin model. Personally its hard work moving the pen some distance. We had a go and it worked in the area where some cows were but the distance was too far to make it workable so the pens were kept closer to home and I wouldnt keep hens too far from the back door either. We've raised 100 meat birds at a time and slaughted and froze over 2 days. No one has died yet. Getting all the equipment is difficult so sharing it is best.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Joel Salatin model. Personally its hard work moving the pen some distance. We had a go and it worked in the area where some cows were but the distance was too far to make it workable so the pens were kept closer to home and I wouldnt keep hens too far from the back door either. We've raised 100 meat birds at a time and slaughted and froze over 2 days. No one has died yet. Getting all the equipment is difficult so sharing it is best.

Did your birds make a reasonable margin over purchased feed? I think it looks like a brilliant way of raising broilers, but needs to be bringing in a few pennies for the work.

 

[wormy535]

Also looking at pastured poultry for meat, and going organic across the farm. I'm reading through the organic standards, there's a range requirement in the standards which I think rules out the Salatin model for housing. To spend more on a dedicated housing unit like the McGregor polytunnels is going to mean going in at a higher number to justify the cost. My thinking at the moment is batches of 200 or thereabouts. Anyone come up with other mobile housing solutions? Taking a vehicle onto the land daily doesn't sound like it will do my soil much good.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Also looking at pastured poultry for meat, and going organic across the farm. I'm reading through the organic standards, there's a range requirement in the standards which I think rules out the Salatin model for housing. To spend more on a dedicated housing unit like the McGregor polytunnels is going to mean going in at a higher number to justify the cost. My thinking at the moment is batches of 200 or thereabouts. Anyone come up with other mobile housing solutions? Taking a vehicle onto the land daily doesn't sound like it will do my soil much good.

Would this guy's system satisfy organic standards?
More work moving fences but they'd have the room.
It's a seasonal system though - I think you'd need more substantial/ weather proof housing for winter rearing.

 

[wormy535]

I think it probably would with access to a 'range' but like you say, seasonal set up which could have some appeal in itself.

Going back to processing, I've seen some mobile poultry processing services but probably in the US. Is there anything equivalent in the UK?

Poultry Specific Resources – Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network

www.nichemeatprocessing.org

 

[martian]

Also looking at pastured poultry for meat, and going organic across the farm. I'm reading through the organic standards, there's a range requirement in the standards which I think rules out the Salatin model for housing. To spend more on a dedicated housing unit like the McGregor polytunnels is going to mean going in at a higher number to justify the cost. My thinking at the moment is batches of 200 or thereabouts. Anyone come up with other mobile housing solutions? Taking a vehicle onto the land daily doesn't sound like it will do my soil much good.

Where will you be selling them? I ask, because being 'organic' might not be necessary to secure the best price...so you could use non-organic feed and the Salatin tractors and be a whole heap better off.

 

[wormy535]

Where will you be selling them? I ask, because being 'organic' might not be necessary to secure the best price...so you could use non-organic feed and the Salatin tractors and be a whole heap better off.

Looking to supply local restaurants, farm shops and direct sales with a focus on the welfare and diverse pasture narrative. Our biggest farm shops in the area sells the Herb Fed whole chicken brand which isn't certified organic, super product though. I'm starting to come to the same conclusion, could be that I set myself up with a lot of certification restrictions without gaining any market advantage. I'm already thinking I'd have to go in big with high capital investment to justify the costs, which then takes me to a less mobile system with poorer pasture utilisation, which isn't what I wanted at all. What I'm looking for is a better insulated Salatin model with some free-ranging.

My starting point was the same interest as Dexter on the IP, so are we saying regenerative agriculture doesn't sit easily aside organic certification? Be interested to know what experiences others on the regenerative pathway have with their broiler chicken / grass fed livestock enterprises.

 

[JohnGalway]

so are we saying regenerative agriculture doesn't sit easily aside organic certification?

Reading Regenerative Agriculture at the moment. In it Perkins has some interesting things to say about organic farming. In short, that it's what the world had before the chem ag we have now, and that the mismanagement of organic farming created most of the desertification across the world in the first place. So there's that. Personally I think it's a busted flush once people ask prying questions re the chems allowed in it.

Myself, increasingly I see no value in certifications generally. There will be exceptions to every rule.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Reading Regenerative Agriculture at the moment. In it Perkins has some interesting things to say about organic farming. In short, that it's what the world had before the chem ag we have now, and that the mismanagement of organic farming created most of the desertification across the world in the first place. So there's that. Personally I think it's a busted flush once people ask prying questions re the chems allowed in it.

Myself, increasingly I see no value in certifications generally. There will be exceptions to every rule.

Getting close enough to your customers to actually explain to them why you do it the way you do and what's different about it trumps selling certified produce as a "premium commodity" it seems.

 

[JohnGalway]

Getting close enough to your customers to actually explain to them why you do it the way you do and what's different about it trumps selling certified produce as a "premium commodity" it seems.

Customer certified ?

 

[wormy535]

Totally agree, selling to the customer is the way forward for me. This needs a collaborative approach, don't suppose there's anyone out there in the Cheshire area who wants to set up a CSA? DM me please.

 

[GeneralBobLopez]

Hey folks. First thread I’ve posted so go easy on me. I am keen to follow my grass fed dexter cattle with grass fed broilers. If any of you are familiar with Richard Perkins and his book “Regenerative agriculture” he is a great advocate for it. Improving the land as the broilers eat the grass and manure as they go.

My question is, can I home slaughter chicken and what are the implications. Any advice would be great, thanks!

Hi DexterMan
I’m interested in the slaughter aspect too. My understanding is with a certificate of competence you could slaughter at home for home consumption. If you are planning to sell rather than consume within your family then birds have to be slaughtered in a licenced abattoir, and that’s regardless of numbers. Some farms set one up themselves, on or near their farm, and get licenced. This would be the cheapest way to do it in the long run. And of course you have complete control of the welfare aspect. For me, I’m thinking of a very small operation to start with, and have no experience of slaughter myself, so not even sure yet if I could become competent enough to do it right. So I’d be interested to know what the going rates are for poultry at commercial abbatoirs if anyone knows? And whether the smaller places differ much to the larger ones? Need to build this cost into business plan.
GBL

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Hi DexterMan
I’m interested in the slaughter aspect too. My understanding is with a certificate of competence you could slaughter at home for home consumption. If you are planning to sell rather than consume within your family then birds have to be slaughtered in a licenced abattoir, and that’s regardless of numbers. Some farms set one up themselves, on or near their farm, and get licenced. This would be the cheapest way to do it in the long run. And of course you have complete control of the welfare aspect. For me, I’m thinking of a very small operation to start with, and have no experience of slaughter myself, so not even sure yet if I could become competent enough to do it right. So I’d be interested to know what the going rates are for poultry at commercial abbatoirs if anyone knows? And whether the smaller places differ much to the larger ones? Need to build this cost into business plan.
GBL

I'm paying £2.50 /bird to get to oven ready.
When you think how cheap a chicken can be in tesco, it seems a lot. (Though of course the product is no comparison) Not sure how this compares to others.
I think with any enterprise where you look to direct supply, if you can do the processing as well, you stand to make a much better margin.
You can set up under an exemption, whereby you don't need a full licence. Think you come under environmental health regs instead of FSA. This restricts your numbers - 400 / week IIRC, and your sales area to home and neighbouring counties. Nor can you slaughter for other people.

 

[Marj]

Thanks for starting this interesting thread!

My partner and I are currently looking into pastured layers and broilers. Hopefully having them follow the future herd of our micro dairy. Hope you don't mind me taking this conversation into a broader direction? I would be very interested in knowing:

- What breeds people use? And where to get more information about them including feed requirements and suppliers. (Every time I google I can't really find the info I need)
- Alternative food sources e.g. types of plants that could be sown in with pasture or e.g. 'waste' from another enterprise e.g. dairy or market garden
- A good info source on what chickens actually need from their feed (as apposed to feed producing companies telling me what chickens need...)

Any info or sharing of experiences very much appreciated!

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Foxes. Fencing. Mudbath. Rats. Getting feed out. Water. Frozen Pipes. Shelters from air predators.

It's called livestock farming

 

[7610 super q]

It's called livestock farming

Thought some might appreciate advice from those that have actually done it. Obviously not.