The birds are raised for a few weeks in a facility, then pastured outside, so they can eat grass, until they reach the proper weight for processing. Along with grass, these birds are also fed a supplemented high protein diet. Free range can mean birds are allowed to roam around outside and eat whatever they want. Or it can mean they are kept in a large barn or facility, but have the chance to walk around and get outside for fresh air, as they wish. Furthermore, both pastured and free range poultry are not necessarily organic poultry, but they could be.
Organic poultry means there has been no medication or medicated feed given to the birds.
To sell birds as Certified Organic, the producer must obtain certification through one of the organic certifying bodies in Manitoba. If you are interested in raising poultry for sale, pastured or otherwise, it's important to know that there are provincial guidelines. According to Carlyle Bennett, Manitoba Agriculture and Food's Poultry Specialist, poultry production in Manitoba is restricted to 999 broilers per farm unit without a quota. For more information on chicken production in Manitoba, click here . An Alberta Family's Experience Colleen Biggs, one of the speakers at the Manitoba Grazing School 2000 shared her knowledge and experience in marketing natural and organic products over the last few years.