You were asking about… Chickens

Housing: Where Do Chickens Live?

Chickens raised for meat are called “broiler” chickens (or “broilers”). They are not kept in cages and do not lay eggs. The birds are kept in climate-controlled barns to protect them against hot summers, cold winters, predators and disease.

In these barns, the broiler chicks roam free on a floor that is covered with a bed of straw or wood chips. They have access to food and water through automatic feed and water lines. As the chickens grow, the farmer will continually adjust the height of the lines to accommodate the height of the birds. This allows maximum comfort and access to feed and water at all times.

Farmers constantly monitor the barn environment. They will typically visit several times a day to make sure the equipment in their barns is working properly to control the temperature, humidity, light and ventilation at optimum levels for their birds. Many newer barns have computerized sensors and many chicken farmers carry beepers with them so that they will be alerted to any changes.

A typical, modern chicken barn has two floors and is 40 feet wide by 200 feet long. It houses an average of 30,000 birds at a time.

Biosecurity protocols are all part of a quality assurance program called the On-Farm Food Safety Assurance Program administered by the Chicken Farmers of Ontario. The program dictates that farmers must continuously monitor their barns and control against the presence of any wild birds, rodents, insects or any other pest that could be a potential vector to spread any disease. Domestic animals are also prohibited from entering the barn as they pose the same risks. Even human visitors are limited: all visitors, including suppliers, must sign in and out to maintain records and control any possible spread of disease to the flock.

Chicken Farmers of Ontario regulations ensure that all chicken farmers provide ample floor space to raise their flocks comfortably throughout the production cycle. Poultry farmers use the most advanced husbandry practices in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Recommended Code of Practice, developed in 1984 by farmers, government, animal protection groups, researchers, and processors. Copies may be found at www.livestockwelfare.com.

Nutrition: What Do Chickens Eat?

Chickens are omnivores; in the natural state a chicken will dine on plants but it will also snack on bugs and slugs and other meat protein sources. In commercial production the feed will mimic the composition of a natural diet as closely as possible while providing all of the essential nutrients for growth and good health. A typical feed is usually based on corn or wheat and a supplemental protein source such as soybean meal. The feed is nutritionally balanced with a government approved mineral supplement.

The birds are bred to grow quickly. Their nutritional requirements are constantly changing as they grow, so farmers work closely with feed companies to develop rations that cater to the specific and changing needs of their birds. It takes approximately 1.9 kg of feed grow 1 kg of chicken.

The amount of water a chicken drinks varies, depending on the temperature of the weather and the age of the bird.

Chickens are not given hormones. In fact, hormone use for chicken is illegal in Canada. As a part of the national Chicken Farmers of Canada’s food safety program, medications must be withdrawn long before the birds go to market. Chickens are like any other living creatures; they sometimes become sick. If this occurs, a prescription from a veterinarian is administered, and farmers must comply with the prescribed withdrawal period for any medications so that the birds go to market without any residues of medications in their bodies. The farmer is responsible for documentation giving the first day of medication use and the last day of use, and he or she will sign a record stating that the correct withdrawal time has taken place and report this to the processor who may perform a residue test.

About the Life Cycle of Broiler Chickens…

Chickens that are raised for meat will travel through three specialized stages of production: broiler-breeder farms, hatcheries and broiler farms.

Certain breeds of chickens are selected for the characteristics that are favourable for meat production. Hens (mature females) are kept with roosters (mature males) to naturally fertilize the eggs. A breeder flock is kept for about one year and the males and females remain together the entire time.

It takes about 26 hours to lay each egg, and the broiler-breeder hen will produce about 300 eggs in her year of production. The eggs are collected, cleaned and carefully stored in incubators at a standard temperature of 100 degrees F.

These fertilized eggs are shipped to a hatchery where the eggs are incubated. After 21 days the eggs hatch into pullets (young female chickens) and cockerels (young male chickens).

Within 24 hours of hatching trained professionals who work in the hatchery vaccinate the chicks against the most common chicken diseases. Both pullet and cockerel chicks are usually transported within 24 hours of hatching to a broiler farm.

At the broiler farm the young birds are carefully watched during this early stage, called the brooding stage. Brooding chicks must be kept very warm and the temperature in the barn is set at about 87º F. for the first 3 days. By 3 weeks, as the chicks’ yellow down is replaced by feathers, the heat has been gradually reduced to 72º F.

At this time the growing cycle begins, during which the birds move freely throughout the barn and eat and drink at their leisure. The length of the growing cycle depends on the market for which the bird is being grown. The smallest birds to go to market reach 2 kg by five weeks of age. Larger birds, called roasters, may be marketed at 2.5 kg to 4 kg at 6 to 8 weeks of age.

A typical broiler farm will raise and ship 6 flocks per year on an 8-week cycle. In between the growing of each flock the barn is totally cleaned and disinfected for the next flock. This practice ensures that the chickens stay healthy by preventing the spread of disease from one flock to the next.

Breeds

Chickens produced for meat are not the same breed as those that are raised for their eggs. Typically, strains of a breed called White Rocks are used for meat, whereas White Leghorns (white eggs) and strains of reddish-brown feathered chickens such as Rhode Island Reds (brown eggs) are used in the egg industry.

For more information on breeds, click here.

Off to Market

When birds are ready for market they are loaded into special shipping crates and transported to the processing plant in specially equipped trucks to ensure swift and humane transportation. The trucks are covered with protective tarps. These tarps can be raised or lowered by a computer inside the cab of the truck to help control the climate for the birds.

For more information about transportation regulations visit www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/livestock/animalcare/transportation.html

The market for broiler chickens in Ontario is supply-managed. This means that a quota system is in place to ensure a consistent supply of chicken for the marketplace and a steady, fair return to the farmer. This system has been in place for chicken produced in Ontario since 1965 and it is administered by Chicken Farmers of Ontario – a marketing board.

For more information on the broiler chicken industry, visit www.cfo.on.ca.