Specialty Breeds for Natural and Organic Poultry Production

Specialty Breeds for Natural and Organic Poultry Production By Akrum Hamdy

Natural poultry producers raise poultry in alternative production Extensive, outdoor systems “Pastured poultry”

Niche Market Sales Natural Free range Organic Ethnic/live

Natural/Organic Producers Use Conventional Poultry Breeds • Fast-growing Cornish Cross • Developed for intensive, indoor production • Market weight of 5. 5 lbs. 7 weeks indoors 8 weeks on pasture

What is “Cornish Cross? ” Cornish x White Rock Cornish male line provides breast weight, conformation Rock female line provides good reproduction

Breeding Companies • Cobb-Vantress (acquired Avian) • Aviagen (acquired Ross, Arbor Acres, Indian River) • Hubbard-ISA (acquired Shaver) • Perdue • Peterson

Selected pedigree Non-selected pedigree Great Grandparents Pedigree Great Grandparents Parents Broilers

Four-Way Cross GGP B female A male C male D female PS CD female AB male ABCD broiler Source: Emmert, Jason. University of Arkansas

Crossing produces hybrid vigor Breeding companies only sell products with crossed lines for security reasons • When Grandparents breed, pure lines are crossed to produce Parents • Pure lines cannot be reproduced from Parents • Intellectual property protection

Using Fast-Growing Broilers Poultry companies buy parent stock, contract growers raise parents (broiler breeders), and hatch commercial chicks Breeding companies offer manuals on how to raise and feed parents Sell in large numbers Commercial chicks are readily available from small independent hatcheries Sold as fast-growing meat birds or roasters Used in pastured production Sample strains: • Hubbard White Mountain • Hubbard Hi-Y • Perdue roaster

Fast-Growth Issues Pros: High efficiency and yield; capacity to eat Carcass conformation Cons: Metabolic Ascites Body grows faster than organs Mortality Leg pathology Lameness, tibia dyscondroplasia Behavior Animal welfare issues

Slowing Down Fast Broilers Restrict feed Under-formulate feed Lighting programs Raise on pasture Raise only females Raise slower strains such as roaster lines

Pastured Poultry Comment about Fast Broilers: “My experience is the larger Cornish Cross are poor pasture chickens. They barely stand up, walk very little and mostly sit near the feeder. They eat very little grass, don't dig or scratch. They are not a pleasure to watch. They do get BIG, however, but I have found they do not have great taste, since they don't range much. They also have health problems and die in hot weather or when they reach about 12 weeks old. I have had them several times, but always wished I had not. They will reach up to 10 pounds dressed, if feed properly and kept alive for 12 or more weeks. ” (Anon. 2003. Re: Broilers vs. cornish cross. E-mail posting to Pasture. Poultry listserver. June 19).

Alternative Broilers • Slow-growing broilers adapted for more traditional production • Gourmet

Slow-Growing Broilers 5 lbs. live weight in 12 weeks Used in Label Rouge and organic production in Europe Label Rouge Organic production Used internationally International breeding companies SASSO Hubbard-ISA Kabir Domestic

Www. sasso. fr

Typical SASSO Label Rouge Black, naked neck

Hubbard-ISA Females Colored & Gourmet Package JA 57 ISA P 6 N Shaver Redbro Www. hubbard-isa. com Isacolor

Hubbard-ISA Males Fast-growing males: I 77, I 99, I 22, I 89, Colorpac Medium-growing males: Redbro, Mastergris, Gris Barre Slow-growing males: I 66 (red feathers, white underfeathers, white shank) S 77 (red feathers, yellow shank) S 86 (black feathers, white shank) Add N for naked neck

Typical Hubbard-ISA Gourmet Parents Male Female

S 757 N Offspring

Specialty Broilers Geographically protected genetics Poulet de Bresse “Poultry of kings” AOC Specialty production Milk finished Blue shanks

Poulet de Bresse preparation

U. S. slow-growing broiler: Rainbow Breeder Company

Medium-Growing Broilers 9 -10 weeks to reach 5 lbs liveweight International SASSO Hubbard-ISA Domestic

Hubbard-ISA • Redbro • Master Gris

U. S. Medium-growing broilers: Silver Cross (Kosher king): Henry Noll Buff Silvers vs Barred Silvers: Reich Cebe Red or Cebe Black: Joe Cebe Hall Brothers Hatchery Redbro Canadian hatchery www. freedomrangers. com

Importation Quarantine for live birds (except Canada) USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) import permit Certificate from a government vet Quarantine is 30 days at USDA centers in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami (or private) Quarantine usually required on hatching eggs Quarantine the hatched chicks for 30 days www. aphis. usda. gov

Very Slow-Growing Broilers (Heritage Breeds) See types on Internet (www. feathersite. com) Heritage breeds not selected for commercial meat production anymore Conservation: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

Turkeys: An American advantage Native to the Americas Slow-growing Naturally mating; AI not required Heritage Geographical ties Naragansett—MA Bourbon Red—Kentucky Some lines selected for meat production

Slow-growing Turkeys Bourbon Red Narrangansett White Holland Black Spanish Royal Palm Eastern Wild Broad-breasted Blue Slate Walters Hatchery www. waltershatchery. com

Layers No commercial layers for floor production or in large flocks Aggressive behavior (pecking, cannibalism) Laying habits Duck Geese Guineafowl

Behavior of Slow-Growing Breeds Slow-growing breeds when fed a low spec ration are “moderately active” Fast-growing breeds are “inactive” Active breeds are needed to make good use of forage • Lying 53% • Standing idle 11% • Sleeping 4% • Lie preening 5% • Eating 11% • Standing ground pecking 5% • Walking 5% (Gordon, 2002)

Mortality In Europe, mortality of slow broilers is low Welfare issues related to breed Fast growth health problems Fast-growing broilers can suffer in natural ventilation Restrict feeding

Meat Quality Selection for fast-growth and high yield has likely affected sensory and functional qualities (Le Bihan-Duval, 2003) More research has been done with hogs (PSE)

Future Selection Programs Commercial traits (fast efficient growth and breast yield) Consumer concerns • Welfare issues Reduce mortality, reduce skeletal and metabolic disorders minimize pecking behavior, improve disease resistance • Environmental Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution • Quality traits Meat quality and texture, taste and leanness

Future natural/organic broiler can perform with: An all-vegetable diet (no animal by-products) Diets that do not include synthetic amino acids Non-optimized diets More open housing, uncontrolled environment No coccidiostats Slower growth Stronger immunity Disease-resistant birds will not need drugs or vaccines Antibiotic-free chickens Fast feathering Good feathering provides insulation, protection from nicks Feather sexing Meat quality traits Genetics adapted to particular regions

Using Slow-Growing Broilers Feed less protein and less energy No need to restrict feed Maintain health status Different vaccinations than fast broilers Boosters

Fast vs. Slow Broilers Fast-grower: Superior efficiency and yield, body conformation Not active forager, metabolic problems, welfare issues Slow-grower: Addresses consumer issues, adapted for outdoor production Good forager, more flavor and texture More expensive to raise Color of pinfeathers

Obtaining Stock Hatcheries Regional Using the postal service is a disadvantage Air shipping issues Product Known genetics Report what the parents are Most hatcheries buy hatching eggs on open market from brokers A few hatcheries raise parent stock Very few have own breeding program Specialty breeds Pastured breeders: www. shadylanepoultry. com

Straight run or sexed birds Straight run May be cheaper Variety of sizes to sell Sexual dimorphism Differences in performance and meat quality Males gain faster; more problems with leg disorders and mortality Females have higher breast yield Males are more aggressive; need sufficient feeder space

Hatchery Health Status: National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Program for hatcheries to be certified free of hatcherydisseminated diseases such as pullorum, or bacillary white diarrhea, and fowl typhoid Active control programs • Salmonella pullorum • Salmonella gallinarum • Salmonella enteritidis (SE) • Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) • Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) • Mycoplasma meleagridis http: //www. aphis. usda. gov/vs/npip/ General sanitation

Other Hatchery Issues Service (promptness in shipping, refunds) Price Listing of hatcheries in U. S. http: //www. aphis. usda. gov/vs/npip/ http: //www. poultryconnection. com/hatchery. html. Listing of specialty hatcheries See “Poultry Genetics for Pastured Production” ATTRA 1 -800 -346 -9140