Beyond organic is way beyond the regualtions that the us governmentt requires to get the "organic" stamp of approval.
In beyond organic gardening and animal keeping - you do so with deep respect and gratitude to the plants and animals. In this case, the chickens all deserve a chicken-worthy life - no matter what happens to them down the line. Their food is not contaminated with pesticides or GMO and they get to be outside on the fields/garden.
- I want true organic eggs from chicken who have been foraging around outside, not so called free range which means "access" to the outside. I will add a link to what it actually means in the commercial world to get organic eggs.
- b - I want to give the males at least somewhat of a life on this planet as chickens - not kill them right away at birth. Ethically, that is what I believe in - and it is beyond organic.
- c - those birds are loved, seen and given the space they need to express their "chicken-ness". This is part of the deal for me - they MUST be respected and treated well.
Here is some of the journey to this:
An opportunity presented itself to work a small part of someone's garden and I got permission to have chickens there too. My initital thoughts about that was: have free range garden chickens and eggs that lay eggs, provide fertilizer and help with tilling and pest control - and - I LOVE birds.
My initial helper, and highly recommended - "The Small Scale Poultry Flock" by Harvey Ussery - a wonderful guide on why and how to keep chickens with and for your garden and food.
Because of ethical reasons I became a vegetarian in 2010 (what this video - If Saughter Houses Had Glass Walls) - simply because I could no longer support, by buying meat in any store, the cruelties done to animals. So I was not looking for meat birds either.
I had read up on organic eggs and chickens from the store and didn't really like what that meant - I was looking for eggs form happy, free range chicken, at least free range enough to find grass and bugs and such things.
Organic: NOWHERE does it say that the animals had a good life - outdoor pastures, humane treatment, less overcrowding.
All that is mostly a myth that people want to believe because most people I know who eat meat would rather have the animals treated well - and organic does NOT mean that ...wake up everyone. (see more of what organic means a little further on)
So then what chickens should I get? I started researching and reading about which chickens to get for what purpose and climate read.
One of the things I found out - and I never really fully "groked" that before - that because egg laying chicken breeds don't make enough money as meat birds - BILLIONS of 1 day old male chicks are gassed to death, thrown away to suffocate of chopped alive in some kind of huge chicken baby chopper machines. This is so unbelievably inhumane and cruel - so I opted to get straight runs from Sandhill Conservation. They came recommened as having good healthy egg laying birds - and I have so far found that to be very true.
So I got 54 birds total ...32 of which are male ...all of which as organically fed and partly free range or pastured. The reason it is partly is because I don't have enough partitioned room for all those roosters .... Of the first birds, now 6 months old, there were only 9 females - 17 males. That just does not work. So as may be able to imagine - the conviction to go humane and organic can be costly - costly in time, energy and money.
I got to know roosters - and I love them.
I got to know pullets - and I love them.
and I had to face some difficulot decisions, and I will write more elsewhere about them.
But my eggs are organic, my birds are organic - and because of all this love, care and energy that went into caring for them they truely are - Beyond Organic.
Organic simply means pesticide free, no GMO,
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.
The USDA has identified for three categories of labeling organic products:
100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients
Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients
Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms)
Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.
NOWHERE does it say that the animals had a good life - outdoor pastures, humane treatment, less overcrowding
All that is mostly a myth that people want to believe because most people I know who eat meat would rather have the animals treated well - and organic does NOT mean that ...wake up everyone.
Most animals on organic and free-range farms are still transported through all weather extremes and slaughtered in the same manner as animals on factory farms.
