Guidelines for Organic Certification of Poultry

Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program 

The following guidelines are based on the USDA organic regulations (7 CFR §205). In order to be eligible for 

organic certification, farms must be in compliance with the following standards. 

Land Requirements (§205.202) 

Land used for pasturing and housing livestock and livestock feed and bedding crops must qualify for organic 

certification. The organic regulations state that any field or farm parcel, from which harvested crops are 

intended to be sold as organic, must have had no prohibited substances applied to it for a period of three 

years immediately preceding the harvest of the crop. 

Example to determine if a field qualifies: 

A farmer's last fertilizer application is on May 31, 2011. 

On May 31, 2012 first transitional year has ended. 

On May 31, 2013 second transitional has ended. 

On May 31, 2014 third transitional year has ended. 

This means after May 31, 2014 pastures or crops harvested can be certified organic. 

Please refer to the Guidelines for Organic Certification of Crops for a complete description of the organic 

standards for crops. 

Origin of Livestock (§205.236) 

Poultry intended for slaughter or egg production must be under continuous organic management beginning 

no later than the second day of life. 

Accepted 

 Day old chicks purchased from a conventional hatchery 

 Poultry over one day old purchased from certified organic sources 

Prohibited 

 Purchase of chicks from a conventional hatchery that have not been managed organically from the 

second day of life 

All purchases of organic birds must be accompanied with copies of organic certificates as well as receipts 

indicating the seller’s name, date and number of birds purchased. 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program 

Livestock Feed (§205.237) 

All certified animals must receive 100% certified organic feed. All pastures must also be certified organic. If 

roughages are used as bedding, they must also be certified.

Accepted for feed 

 100% of feed (grains and forages), feed supplements, and/or feed additives, including pastures, that are 

organically produced, handled and certified under the NOP regulations. 

 Water additives (electrolytes, molasses, cider vinegar, etc.) consistent with the National List §205.603. 

 Minerals and vitamins that are FDA approved or currently listed in AAFCO will be considered for approval 

by your organic certifier. 

You must keep receipts and accompanying certificates as documentation of off-farm feed purchases. The 

receipt must verify the quantity and source of feed purchased from off-farm. 

All non-organic certified feed supplements, including minerals, must be approved by your certifier. Antibiotics, 

GMO derived products, animal by-products and synthetic preservatives are not permitted in any feed 

products. Be sure that any mineral/feed supplements do not contain prohibited ingredients (such as mineral 

oil). Agricultural substances in feed supplements (molasses, soy oil, etc.) must be certified organic. 

Prohibited 

 Use of animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth 

 Urea or manure added to feed or in feed formulas. 

 Direct fed mammalian or poultry by-products such as animal fats and rendered products (does not 

include fishmeal). 

 Providing feed supplements or additives in amounts over what is needed by the livestock for nutrition and 

health. 

 Kitchen and garden scraps that are not certified organic. 

Contact your certifier for a list of dealers who offer organic feed in your area. 

Livestock Health Care (§205.238) 

Animal health is the result of preventative and on-going management efforts to create living soils, provide 

nourishing forage and feed, and improve the quality of livestock life. Animals must be kept in healthy, low stress 

environments. Producers must use preventative health care practices and may only use approved treatments. 

Accepted 

 Selecting species and types of livestock suitable to the conditions on their farm and resistant to prevalent 

diseases and parasites 

 Providing feed sufficient to meet the needs of the animals, including vitamins, minerals, protein and/or 

amino acids, fatty acids, energy sources, and fiber 

 Establishing appropriate housing, pasture, and sanitation to reduce diseases, parasites and predation 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program 

 Providing animals with the opportunity for exercise, freedom of movement, and reduction of stress 

 Administering preventative vaccines and other veterinary biologics 

 Performing physical alterations when needed for the animal’s welfare, taking care to minimize pain and 

stress. 

Prohibited 

 Withholding medical treatment from a sick animal to maintain organic status 

 Administering any animal drug in the absence of illness 

 Use hormones for promotion of growth of livestock 

 Selling, labeling, or representing as organic any animal or animal product that has been treated with 

antibiotics, a synthetic substance not on the National List, or any prohibited non-synthetic substance 

Livestock Living Conditions (§205.239) 

Housing must provide for adequate ventilation, adequate supply of clean water and proper sanitation. Housing 

must provide access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air and direct sunlight year round. 

Housing must also provide adequate protection from predators. 

Accepted 

 Temporary confinement from the outdoors due to inclement weather; the animal’s stage of production; 

conditions under which the health and safety of the animal could be jeopardized; risk to soil or water 

quality; preventative healthcare procedures or the treatment of illness or injury; breeding; and 4-H or 

other youth projects. 

Prohibited 

 Animals confined in such a way that prevents lying down, standing up, fully extending limbs and moving 

about freely. 

 Inadequate clean, dry bedding. If the bedding qualifies as roughage (hay, straw, etc.), it must comply 

with the feed requirements and be certified organic. 

 Continuous total indoor confinement of any animal. 

Lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited substances may not be used for new construction that will 

come into direct contact with soil or livestock. For example, treated wood should not be used to construct 

brooder housing or portable pens where poultry can have direct contact with the wood. 

Soil Erosion and Water Quality (§205.203) 

A producer must select tillage and cultivation and grazing practices that maintain or improve the physical, 

chemical and biological condition of the soil and minimize erosion. 

Manure must be managed in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops, soil or water, by 

plant nutrients, heavy metals, or pathogenic organisms and optimizes the recycling of nutrients. 

 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program 

Egg and Carcass Washes (§205.605) 

Due to the porous nature of egg shells, egg cleaners are considered to be food additives and must be on the 

National List of allowed non-agricultural substances. 

Water used in direct post-harvest contact for egg or carcass washing is permitted to contain chlorine materials 

at levels approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency for such 

purpose. However, rinsing with potable water that does not exceed the maximum residual disinfectant limit for 

the chlorine material under the Safe Drinking Water Act (4ppm) must immediately follow this permitted use. 

Chlorine solutions used to sanitize eggs, if at levels added over 4ppm, must be followed by clean water rinse at 

no more than 4ppm residual chlorine levels. 

The following egg wash ingredients are allowed for use in organic egg production: 

 Sodium hypochlorite 

 Potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide 

 Hydrogen peroxide 

 Sodium carbonate 

 Peracetic acid (Peroxyacetic acid) 

Other additives/ egg coatings: Mineral oil is not listed on the National List Section 205.605 and therefore may 

not be used to coat eggs after washing. Organic vegetable oils would be allowed for this purpose. 

Slaughter (§205.102)

Meat that is to be sold, labeled, or represented as organic must be from an animal that was under continuous 

organic management from no later than its second day of life. A certified organic slaughter facility must be 

used for processing meat that is to be marketed as organic. If processing poultry for commercial sales, all state 

and federal regulations must be met. 

Marketing and Labeling (§205.303)

Livestock products that are packaged and to be sold, labeled or represented as “100% organic” or “organic” 

must include the following on the information panel of your label: 

 Handler information: name of handler and business address 

 Followed by “Certified organic by ***”, identifying the name of the certifying agent responsible for 

certifying the handler of the finished product 

Additionally, the agricultural products in packages that are to be sold, labeled or represented as “100% 

organic” or “organic” may display on the package panel or any marketing/labeling information about the 

product the following: 

 The term “100% organic” or “organic, as applicable to modify the name of the product 

 The USDA seal and/or your certifier’s logo/seal 
Written and designed by staff at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. This product was 

developed with support from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic 

Program 

For more details of USDA label requirements, it is recommended that you contact your certifier. Most certifiers 

require label review and approval prior to the use of the label in the sale of agricultural products to be sold or 

represented as organic. 

Record Keeping (§205.103) 

Written records must be kept on an ongoing basis. Records are essential, as organic certification is about 

verifying your farming practices to a third party. Maintaining records can also help producers improve their 

management. Records must be “readily auditable” (accessible, organized, and complete) and must be 

maintained for five years. In general, your record keeping system must allow a third party to trace your 

management from birth/purchase to death/sales. Many certifiers provide record keeping templates but also 

accept farm-specific systems, so long as they include the necessary information. 

 

Records that must be kept by poultry producers may include: 

 Feed receipts and certificates 

 Receipts and certificates for all purchased forages and/or bedding hay/straw 

 Sales records 

 Production records 

 Mortality/cull records 

Please refer to your certifier’s guidelines for a more detailed explanation of the USDA organic regulations. If you 

have any questions regarding the standards or the application process, please contact your certifier.