Agriculture: Genetics and Quota

Broilers (Meat Birds) White rocks are the most common breed Convert feed into muscle Most muscle is on the breast, wings and upper legs (drumstick) the most expensive meat and easiest to prepare

Costco $3.39/lb for boneless chicken breasts

56 day old broiler

Broilers almost ready for processing

Production Processed at approx. 45-55 days old (8

weeks) Under right conditions, broilers will gain1/10th of a pound per day 99.99% of broilers in Ontario are housed indoors 22 ° C, all the water and feed they can

drink. Lights always on. Lets put on the weight!

Lets take a tour of a modern broiler barn

Day old chick

Quota Defined – governing body sells or buys “chicken

units” to regulate supply and demand Ontario chicken quota began in 1965 as a way to

maintain “fair” prices for farmers. Quota was given to producers based on barn

sq/ft per farm Currently chicken quota is $160 / bird unit with

the smallest needing to produce 91 000 chickens per year to qualify

Simply, you need $ 2.4 million just to think about commercial chicken farming

You may keep under 300 birds without quotaSource: Sustain Ontario

Production within Ontario All decisions are governed by the Chicken Farmers of

Ontario (CFO) 1, 114 commercial chicken farmers 195 million chickens produced in 2012 or 175 000 chickens/farm In 2012, 12 new farmers were welcomed into

the chicken business. HORRAY! 10 farmers were either in the chicken business

through family already or sold dairy quota

Source: Chicken Farmers of Ontario

Laying Hens – the Egg Producers

White Leghorns

Black Sex Links

ISA Reds

Laying Hen Production Laying hen production begins at 20-25 weeks

of age She will lay 320-340 eggs/year in her first year A grade A egg weighs 56 grams

Or 1/32 of her body weight After she reaches 1 year of age she moults she

is removed and make way for the next batch Moulting is when chickens loose their old

feathers and grow new ones.

Production Continued All commercial eggs must be candled and graded

like this 430 egg producers in Ontario producing

over 200 million dozen eggs annually (2.4 billion)

Layer quota is $250 per bird unit. As long as your are under 100 birds, you are

exempt from quota Conventional Housing –vs Free range housing This is not allowed in Canada but should be…

Where the best eggs are made

Raising Chickens Outdoors Excellent way to keep grass cut and

improve the quality of your grass Chickens manure is 65% nitrogen = green

grass Chickens eat most kitchen scraps (meats,

salads, rice) Do not like citrus rinds, but love chicken

Salatin moving a bottomless broiler pen

Salatin’s chicken pasture from the air – notice the colour of the land

Predators - foxes

Hawks and Owls

Northern Harriers/Great Horned Owls

Typical hawk attack – head missing

Predators - mink

Bylaws – Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo Currently chickens are not allowed in

many Canadian cities reasons because city officials think they Attract rats, are noisy, smell etc. The real reason city officials do not allow

this is because of misinformation. Hens are allowed in all U.S major cities

including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles along with Victoria and Vancouver in Canada.

Try it! "Until a person's spent time with them, you just don’t know what

you're missing. They’re hilarious. They’re awesome pets -- pets with benefits, because the eggs are tremendous." She also appreciates their appetite for insects. "Good luck to any mosquito that tries to lay an egg -- they will find it!" she says. "I look at having chickens as a way things ought to be. I look at them as an extension of my kitchen."

Kelly, who prefers not to give his last name due to hen security, is another urban chicken keeper who got started in "the search for a better egg," he says. Now, his four hens give him at least 20 eggs a week; his children (ages five and seven) collect them daily. "For us, it’s not a matter of saving money; it's an issue of sustainable food, and delicious food."

Henonyomous, May 8th, 2013http://www.yongestreetmedia.ca/features/backyardchickens05082013.aspx