United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 5024

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: Draft

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 1 of 4

File Name: NOP 5024 - Outdoor Access for Organic Poultry 09 01 10 Draft Authorized Distribution: Public

Draft Guidance

Outdoor Access for Organic Poultry

1. Purpose 

This guidance provides clarification on ways in which accredited certifying agents (ACAs) and organic 

poultry producers can verify or demonstrate compliance with the outdoor access requirement for organic 

poultry.

2. Scope

This guidance applies to ACAs and organic poultry production operations.

3. Background

The National Organic Program (NOP) is providing this guidance to clarify outdoor access for poultry 

under the NOP regulations. The NOP regulations require organic poultry producers to provide all 

poultry with access to the outdoors except during intervals of temporary confinement for specified 

animal welfare and environmental concerns. The NOP regulations §205.239(a) state: 

The producer of an organic livestock operation must establish and maintain year-round livestock 

living conditions which accommodate the health and natural behavior of animals, including:

(1) Year-round access for all animals to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh

air, clean water for drinking, and direct sunlight, suitable to the species, its stage of life, 

the climate, and the environment: Except, That, animals may be temporarily denied 

access to the outdoors in accordance with §§205.239(b) and (c)....Continuous total

confinement of any animal indoors is prohibited.

In May 2002, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) approved a recommendation clarifying the 

outdoor access requirements and exemptions specific to poultry production. This recommendation 

emphasized the importance of establishing and maintaining suitable external conditions that would 

provide birds with the opportunity to move between indoor housing and the outside should they choose 

to do so. The NOSB recommendation further specified that outdoor conditions should include open air 

and direct sunshine. The May 2002 NOSB recommendation also stated that “bare surfaces other than 

soil (e.g. metal, concrete, wood) do not meet the intent” of the outdoor access for poultry requirement. 

In November 2009, the NOSB approved an animal welfare recommendation that further elaborated the 

outdoor access requirements for poultry. 

 

Certain requirements in §205.239 applicable to poultry were amended in conjunction with the 

implementation of new pasture standards on June 17, 2010. The amendments reiterated that access to an 

outdoor environment suitable to the natural behavior of each poultry species is required. These 

amendments further specified and slightly expanded the recognized conditions for temporary 

confinement. 
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 5024

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: Draft

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File Name: NOP 5024 - Outdoor Access for Organic Poultry 09 01 10 Draft Authorized Distribution: Public

4. Policy

A producer of an organically managed poultry operation must develop and implement an organic system 

plan (OSP) that complies with the applicable provisions in §205.201. Maintaining organic poultry on 

soil or providing organic poultry with outdoor hen runs are ways that producers can demonstrate 

compliance with the outdoor access requirement in §205.239. Provisions from the May 2002 NOSB 

recommendation on access to the outdoors for poultry and November 2009 NOSB recommendation on 

animal welfare may be used for guidance in designing organic system plans. The NOP is currently 

assessing these recommendations to consider whether future rulemaking on outdoor access for poultry is 

warranted. 

5. References 

§205.2 Terms defined. 

Stage of life. A discrete time period in an animal's life which requires specific management practices 

different than during other periods (e.g., poultry during feathering). Breeding, freshening, lactation and 

other recurring events are not a stage of life.

§205.201 Organic production and handling system plan.

(a) The producer or handler of a production or handling operation, except as exempt or excluded under 

§205.101, intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as “100 percent organic,” “organic,” 

or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” must develop an organic production or 

handling system plan that is agreed to by the producer or handler and an accredited certifying agent. An 

organic system plan must meet the requirements set forth in this section for organic production or 

handling......

§205.239 Livestock living conditions.

(a) The producer of an organic livestock operation must establish and maintain year round livestock 

living conditions which accommodate the health and natural behavior of animals, including:

(1) Year-round access for all animals to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air, 

clean water for drinking, and direct sunlight, suitable to the species, its stage of life, the climate, 

and the environment: Except, That, animals may be temporarily denied access to the outdoors in 

accordance with §§ 205.239(b) and (c)....Continuous total confinement of any animal indoors is 

prohibited.

(2) For all ruminants, management on pasture and daily grazing throughout the grazing season(s) 

to meet the requirements of §205.237, except as provided for in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of 

this section.

(3) Appropriate clean, dry bedding. If the bedding is typically consumed by the animal species, it 

must comply with the feed requirements of §205.237;

(4) Shelter designed to allow for:

(i) Natural maintenance, comfort behaviors, and opportunity to exercise;

(ii) Temperature level, ventilation, and air circulation suitable to the species; and
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 5024

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: Draft

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 3 of 4

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(iii) Reduction of potential for livestock injury;

(5) The use of yards, feeding pads, feedlots and laneways that shall be well-drained, kept in good 

condition (including frequent removal of wastes), and managed to prevent runoff of wastes and 

contaminated waters to adjoining or nearby surface water and across property boundaries.

(b) The producer of an organic livestock operation may provide temporary confinement or shelter for an 

animal because of:

(1) Inclement weather;

(2) The animal’s stage of life: Except, That lactation is not a stage of life that would exempt 

ruminants from any of the mandates set forth in this regulation;

(3) Conditions under which the health, safety, or wellbeing of the animal could be jeopardized;

(4) Risk to soil or water quality;

(5) Preventive healthcare procedures or for the treatment of illness or injury (neither the various 

life stages nor lactation is an illness or injury);

(6) Sorting or shipping animals and livestock sales: Provided, That, the animals shall be 

maintained under continuous organic management, including organic feed, throughout the extent 

of their allowed confinement;

(7) Breeding: Except, That, bred animals shall not be denied access to the outdoors and, once 

bred, ruminants shall not be denied access to pasture during the grazing season; or

(8) 4-H, Future Farmers of America and other youth projects, for no more than one week prior to 

a fair or other demonstration, through the event and up to 24 hours after the animals have arrived 

home at the conclusion of the event. These animals must have been maintained under continuous 

organic management, including organic feed, during the extent of their allowed confinement for 

the event......

(e) The producer of an organic livestock operation must manage manure in a manner that does not 

contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, heavy metals, or pathogenic 

organisms and optimizes recycling of nutrients and must manage pastures and other outdoor access areas 

in a manner that does not put soil or water quality at risk.

May 2002 NOSB Final Recommendation: Access to the Outdoors for Poultry

The NOSB recommended the following clarification to the National Organic Standards regarding 

outdoor access for poultry:

1. Organically managed poultry must have access to outdoors. Organic livestock facilities shall give 

poultry the ability to choose to be in the housing or outside in the open air and direct sunshine. The 

producer’s organic system plan shall illustrate how the producer will maximize and encourage access to 

the outdoors.

2. Bare surfaces other than soil (e.g. metal, concrete, wood) do not meet the intent of the National 

Organic Standards.

3. The producer of organically managed poultry may, when justified in the organic system plan, provide 

temporary confinement because of:

a. Inclement weather;
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. NOP 5024

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building Effective Date: Draft

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250 Page 4 of 4

File Name: NOP 5024 - Outdoor Access for Organic Poultry 09 01 10 Draft Authorized Distribution: Public

b. The stage of production (i.e. sufficient feathering to prevent health problems caused by outside 

exposure);

c. Conditions under which the health, safety, or well being of the poultry could be jeopardized;

d. Risk to soil or water quality.

November 2009 NOSB Final Recommendation: Animal Welfare

The NOSB recommended the following language for rulemaking related to access to the outdoors for 

poultry:

§205.239 Livestock living conditions. (Avian section)

(d) The operator of an organic poultry operation shall establish and maintain poultry living conditions 

that accommodate the health and natural behavior: 

(1) Access to: 

(i) materials for dust bathing 

(ii) adequate floor space areas, and outdoor run areas to escape from predators and 

aggressive behavior 

(iii) perches must be provided for all laying hens at not less than 6” per hen. Perch area 

can include the alighting rail immediately in front of next boxes. Multi-tier operations are 

required to provide perch space for 55% of birds at one time. 

(2) Access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air and direct sunlight suitable to 

the age of the poultry, climate and the environment.

(f) Birds must have sufficient exit areas, appropriately distributed around the building, to ensure that all 

birds have ready access to the outdoors. Exit areas must allow the passage of more than one bird at a 

time...

(i) Access to Outdoors 

(1) Outside access and door spacing must be designed to promote and encourage outside access 

for all birds on a daily basis, weather permitting. Producers must provide access to the outdoors 

at an early age in order encourage (train) birds to go outdoors. Pullets must be provided with 

outside access from the age of 6 weeks providing they are fully feathered and weather permits. 

Broilers must be provided with outside access from the age of 4 weeks providing they are fully

feathered and weather permits. Once layers are accustomed to going outdoors, a brief 

confinement period to allow for nest box training is permitted. 

(2) Birds may not be confined to the house due to a “threat” of an outbreak of disease. There 

must be a documented occurrence of an outbreak in the region or relevant migratory pathway, or 

state or federal advisory in order to confine birds. 

(3) Producers must maintain records documenting periods of confinement. Producers must 

identify in the OSP how they plan to protect birds from disease and predators. 

(4) For pasture based systems birds must be provided with access to a variety of vegetation. 

Management of pasture areas must be in compliance with §205.203 – §205.206. Birds must be 

protected from natural predators.