Range
         "Pastured poultry production" is a grassroots movement that focuses on farm-scale production and direct marketing. It has been developed from the ground up by hundreds of family farms, and is driven by consumers seeking an alternative to conventional poultry.
            This enterprise can provide supplemental income in rural areas. Small farmers raise poultry in "free-range" or pasture-based systems that are part of a diversified farm.
            Producers buy day-old chicks, usually through mail order, from independent hatcheries. They generally use the same broiler genetics developed for the conventional industry, but use a wider range of layer genetics, including many heritage breeds.
            Most producers raise poultry seasonally, though some larger-scale growers pursue year-round production. Some producers use commercial sources of non-medicated feed, but most work with a local feed mill to have custom rations made from natural feed ingredients. Broilers are usually grown for eight weeks.
            There are very few independent government-inspected processing plants where producers can take their birds for processing, and large-scale integrated companies do not process for independents.
            "Exempt," non-government-inspected processing is often practiced on-farm. In many states, exemptions in the federal Poultry Production Inspection Act allow a producer to raise and process 1,000 birds per year for direct sale to customers.
            Small-scale equipment is used for slaughtering birds by hand. A few egg producers have egg processing equipment, but most wash eggs by hand. The legal environment surrounding non-government-inspected meat processing presents both opportunities and limitations.
            Marketing is usually direct to customers and advertising is often word-of-mouth. Farmers sell directly to customers, from the farm or at other locales such as farmers’ markets, and report more demand than they can supply.
            It is difficult to estimate the size of the pastured poultry movement; one way is to consider the number of books sold on the topic:
• Pastured Poultry Profits — 10,000 sold
• Free-Range Poultry Production and Marketing — 3,000 sold
• The Chicken Tractor — 35,000 sold
            Although there are many producers, the operations are mostly small. A 1999 NCAT survey found that 46 percent of pastured poultry enterprises produce between 0 and 500 broilers per year; 17 percent produce between 501 and 1,000 per year; and 18 percent produce more than 1,000 per year. Sixty-nine percent also raise layers, and 31 percent also raise turkeys. Eighty percent indicated they would like to expand operations.
            Although many producers are satisfied with farm-scale production and direct marketing, there is an industry emerging from the grassroots movement that looks beyond direct marketing. Labor intensity limits the number of birds that a producer can realistically produce and market from the farm. To earn more than supplemental income, producers need access to better processing and marketing. Some are building small government-licensed processing plants.
            There are a few large-scale companies with national distribution of range and organic poultry products (Shelton’s Poultry Inc. and Petaluma Poultry Processors, to name two); however, they have not evolved with the pastured-poultry movement — they are industrial models.
            Most pastured-poultry farmers — even those building processing plants — are committed to sustain-ability and do not seek national markets, but rather regional ones that support local food systems.

Why Raise Range Poultry?
            Producers are interested in range poultry production for economic and for less tangible reasons. Poultry is one of the first types of livestock that beginning farmers consider. Small-scale poultry production can be profitable with a low initial investment, and it provides good cash flow.
            But the motivation may be a lifestyle issue. Some families use poultry production to teach a work ethic to children. Home-schoolers in particular use it as an educational tool. Farm-scale poultry production provides a summer job for teenagers and can be appropriate for youth programs and other community development projects.
            From a production standpoint, the reasons to pasture birds are to obtain nutrients from the pasture, improve land fertility and improve bird health. Poultry obtain nutrients from young, vegetative forage plants, but because they cannot digest cellulose as ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats) do, poultry do not make use of the vast energy stored in the plant fiber.
            Besides plants, poultry on pasture also forage for seeds and live protein such as worms and insects. Pasture is usually planned and managed primarily for ruminants in "extensive" range poultry systems.
            Intensive vs. extensive is an important distinction in range poultry production systems.
        • Intensive range poultry production can be a stand-alone enterprise and requires only a small amount of land. However, careful manure management is needed to prevent excessive soil fertility.
        • Extensive range poultry production requires a lot more land and is usually part of a diversified operation with ruminants. Mixed husbandry can be very important in range poultry production. Buying land just for extensively raising poultry is unlikely to be profitable. In addition, grazing ruminants shorten the grass for the poultry, eliminating the need for mowing. Increased farm diversity can enhance biological diversity and environmental quality.
            Soil fertility is a major motivation for range poultry production. Many producers want to take advantage of range poultry manure to improve their pastures for ruminants. Range poultry, according to Oregon producer Robert Plamondon, is "almost essential in reviving a played-out farm on a shoestring budget."
            Some vegetable growers insist that in order to build a sustainable system, livestock must be incorporated into the farm for fertility. However, excessive soil fertility can also be an issue, especially in intensive systems.
            Much of the fertility in poultry manure is derived from concentrate feed, an important input in poultry production. Layer manure has 1.5 percent nitrogen (N), 1.3 percent phosphorus (P) and 0.5 percent potassium (K). Broiler manure is usually mixed with litter. Birds deposit a lot of their manure in the house at night. These "night droppings" can be removed and spread directly on pastures, or composted first.
            Litter is a large-scale problem in the conventional poultry industry. When too much litter is applied to the ground, nutrient pollution occurs (over fertilization with phosphorus).
            However, in small-scale production, litter is usually an asset rather than a problem, because the volume is much smaller. Excessive fertility on poultry range can be managed by grazing with ruminants, by making hay, or by rotating crops, since these activities remove nutrients.
            Many beef producers also keep poultry to scratch apart larva-harboring dung pats to reduce fly and parasite problems on the cattle. Producer Joel Salatin in Virginia has said he would keep layers in his cattle pastures even if there were no eggs—just for the health benefits to the cattle.
            Many producers believe that birds are healthier and happier when raised on pasture. Raising small outdoor flocks can reduce the concentration of disease-causing pathogens, and UV light from the sun is a good sanitizer.
            Still, birds will be exposed to pathogens from wildlife, and pathogens can build up in intensively used areas. Also, exposure to the elements and stress from predation may have negative impacts on bird health.
            From a marketing standpoint, birds raised on pasture appeal to some consumers for welfare or aesthetic reasons, or because they believe pasture production is more environmentally sound, or because they believe the meat and eggs are more nutritious or better tasting.
            Some like the deep orange color of the yolk when layers eat plant material. When direct marketing, a broad range of products is an advantage, in addition to increasing diversity on the farm.
            Range poultry production systems, like other production systems, should provide fresh air, clean feed and water, and protection from predators; shelter from cold, rain, wind and sun; and a source of heat when birds are young (brooding). Birds need to be able to grow, sleep and lay eggs in comfort.
            In a good production system, birds are free from stress and disease. Alternative systems also emphasize enabling the birds to behave in a natural way. Pasture rearing is a cornerstone of this approach.
            In range systems, land should be well drained and well covered with high-quality vegetation. Pasture rotation will reduce disease-causing pathogens, avoid buildup of excessive manure and prevent turf damage. However, if done improperly, production on range becomes a problem instead of an advantage.
            For more information contact: Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), P. O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702. Telephone: 1-800-346-9140. Web site: http://attra.ncat.org/

Anne Fanatico is a NCAT agriculture specialist.