Desk study – Optimising the synergism between organic poultry production and whole farm rotations, including home grown protein sources

Over the past fifty years, most poultry in the UK have been managed in specialist indoor systems and excluded as a significant enterprise from most other farm types. This meant that there was little information on how to integrate poultry into land-based systems such as organic production. This Defra project OF0163 aimed to assess methods of integrating organic poultry into crop rotations, taking into account the need to meet the birds’ nutritional and physiological requirements for health and performance, the recycling of nutrients between soil, plants and birds and practical limitations of the system. Objectives 1. To review the scientific literature available on home grown protein sources so as to identify their maximum inclusion rates in organic poultry rations (laying hens and table chickens). 2. To measure nitrogen retention and to determine the nutrient content of manure from slow growing meat birds fed non limiting rations versus Label Rouge rations. 3. To measure nitrogen retention and to determine the nutrient content of manure in slow growing meat birds housed at a stable thermoneutral temperature versus a daily ambient temperature cycle during late autumn/winter months. 4. To review the scientific information available so as to determine the optimum position for poultry in whole farm rotations. 5. To provide examples of enterprise costings, including gross margins over variable costs, for mixed farms on a “with poultry” (laying hens and table chickens, separately) and “without poultry” basis. 6. To disseminate information on poultry management techniques as they apply to an organic system of egg production and table chicken production. Results and conclusions are included in a more detailed Executive Summary at the top of the main report.