Pastured Poultry

Links are continually updated as we identify new articles, suppliers, equipment, research, and resources that support pastured poultry production.

There are many other resources available; this list is by no means complete. See also the resources listed on NABC’s Agriculture Resources page. Please contact us to request or suggest webpage updates.  The following is posted solely as a public service and is not intended as an endorsement of any particular entity.

Common Terms

• MRC: Mobile Range Coop
• ACV: Apple cider vinegar
• LGD: Livestock guardian dog
• Salatin coop: 10′ x 12′ x 2′ movable pen, allows 1.5′ per bird at max. capacity
• APPPA: American Pastured Poultry Producers Association

Tool Box

• Monthly Poultry Pen Record (Homestead Apps)
• Pearson’s Square Calculator (Homestead Apps) – see more under Feed, below
• Pasture Poultry Production Pkg – tracking spreadsheet  (Windy Ridge Natural Farms)
• Layer Production Indices (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University)
• Chicken Breeds A to Z – Wirefence.co.uk.
• The Eggcellent Guide to Chicken Breeds – Buyrope.co.uk (some breeds listed under other counties are also found in the U.S.)

Chick Suppliers

• Hatchery list (compiled by APPPA member)
• Rock Creek Farms (Cornish X only) (Bellingham, WA) 
• Oak Meadows Farm
• Windy Meadows Hatchery (Texas)
• Jenks Hatchery (Oregon)
• Pete’s Hatchery (Oregon)
• Holderread Waterfowl Farm & Preservation Center (Oregon)
• Badger’s Millside Farm (Pennsylvania)
• Moyers Hatchery (Pennsylvania)
• Freedom Ranger Hatchery (Pennsylvania)
• Meyer Hatchery (Ohio)
• Murray McMurray (Iowa)
• Cackle Hatchery (Missouri)
• Hoover Hatchery (Iowa) 
• Stromberg’s Chicks (Minnesota)

Eggs for Hatching

• Keith Smith Company (service in English / Spanish) (Arizona)
• Avian Technology (Georgia)
• CWT Farms (Aviagen subsidiary) (Georgia)

Brooding Chicks

• Build An Ohio Brooder in 2 Hrs for Under $20
• “Managing Risk: Using Heat Lamps on the Farm” – Cornell University
• Start & Grow Cage Kit (vertical brooder) – Stromberg’s 
• Universal Box Brooder – GQF Manufacturing Co.
• From Egg to Chick: A Guide for Successful Incubation and Brooding – Brower
• The Seven Basics of Better Brooding – PoultrySite

Layers & Egg Production

• Management of Laying Chickens (Merck Manual)
• Scaling Up Egg Production: Management, Markets, Regulation, and Finances – University of Vermont Extension
• Feeding Chickens for Egg Production – extension.org
• USDA Egg Grading Manual

Feed

• Scratch n Peck (organic; wholesale/ retail) (Burlington, WA – see distributors)
• In Season Farms (organic; wholesale) (Abbotsford, Canada – delivery available)
• Conway Feed (Mount Vernon, WA – delivery available)
• Ellenbaas Company (Lynden, WA – see distributors)
• Red Bridge Farm LLC (Kettle Falls, WA – see distributors)
• X-Cel Feeds (Tacoma, WA)
• Stiebrs Farms (Yelm, WA)
• Fertrell Company (supplements; consultations) (Pennsylvania)
• Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) – Feedipedia
• Black Soldier Fly Farming (BSF; alternative poultry protein)
• Black soldier fly larvae – one of the best kept secrets of sustainable farming – RAID
• Papers regarding use of BSF larvae in animal feed – Insectum
• Arbor Acres Service Bulletin – Optimizing Broiler Feed Conversion Ratio
• Pearson’s Square – calculating 2 ingredients for a nutrition target (Colorado State University Extension)

Pasture

• How Many Chickens Per Acre? – Practical Poultry Tips
• Pastured Poultry Nutrition and Forages – Southern SARE
• Calculation of Fair Pasture Rates – WSU
• Computing a Pasture Rental Rate – Iowa State University Ag Decision Maker
• Cropland & Pasture Rent: Washington State – USDA NASS

Small Farm Rental Equipment

• NABC Rental Program (poultry)
• Whatcom Conservation District (incl. poultry)
• King Conservation District (incl. poultry)
• Snohomish Conservation District

Equipment and Supplies

• Country Store/ Skagit Farm Supply
• Co-op Supply
• Snohomish Co-op True Value
• Featherman Equipment Company
• Cornerstone Farm Ventures (hand tools, more)
• Growers Discount Labels – reportedly stick to moist bags
• Atwoods Ranch & Home – paper egg cartons
• Zellwin Farms Companys Company egg cartons
• Ultra Source (processing supplies)
• Bunzl Koch (processing supplies)
• Waltons (heat shrink bags and more)
• Featherman (heat shrink bags)
• Ashley Equipment Company 
• Whizbang Poultry Plucker (DIY instructions)
• Poultry Heat Shrink Bags from Planet Whizbang 
• Webstaurant (vacuum bags, more)
• Ador1 Automatic Coop Door
• Automatic Chicken Coop Door
• Plasson equipment (incl. bell waterers) – widely available
• Watering systems from FarmTek
• Free standing waterer from Premier1
• BriteTap Waterer
• Equipment from Premier1
• Muddy Hill Farm
• Electric poultry netting  – Gallagher
• Electric poultry netting – Premier1
• Best Nest Boxes
• Billboard Tarps (heavy-duty used vinyl)
• Bonar Polar insulated box – Global Industries (for aging carcasses on ice)
• CoolBot (converts small rooms into walk-in coolers)

Housing

• Poultry Housing – UMass Extension
• Small Scale Poultry Housing –  Penn State
• Making A Hoop Pen for Pastured Poultry – Kentucky State University
• Hansen Cattle Panel Hoop House for Chickens – APPPA
• Portable pens for pastured poultry: designs that beat heat, wind, and rain – Managing Wholes
• Range Poultry Housing – Practical Poultry Tips
• Predators of Chickens and How to Protect Your Birds (Grit.com)
• Poultry Predator Identification Tool (PoultryDVM)
• Mobile range coops – Cobb Creek Farm
• Chicken Caravan (Australia)
• DIY Greenhouse Fittings and Benders (hoophouse hardware) – Colorado Metal Works
• Video: “Building an inexpensive but high quality chicken water heater” (Surviving Montana)
• Important Design Features In Our Shelters – Article (Wrong Direction Farm)

Flock Health

• WSU – Veterinary Medicine Extension – Poultry
• Poultry Illness Flow Chart (Jeff Mattocks, Farm Marketing Solutions)
• Overview of Poisonings in Poultry (Merck Veterinary Manual)
• Common Infectious Diseases in Backyard Poultry (Merck Veterinary Manual)
• Nutritional Requirements in Poultry (Merck Veterinary Manual)
• Mineral Deficiencies in Poultry (Merck Veterinary Manual)
• Vitamin Deficiencies in Poultry (Merck Veterinary Manual)
• National Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards (sanitation & preventing disease transmission)
• Rescue Remedy (Bach flower stress treatment)
• Healing With Bach Flower Essences: A Complimentary Therapy (study abstract)
• Bach flower remedies: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials (study abstract)
• Apple Cider Vinegar for Poultry for Poultry (article)
• Anticoccidial Effect of Apple Cider Vinegar on Broiler Chicken (study abstract)
• Strategies to improve performance and reduce preslaughter Salmonella in organic broilers (ACV research study)

NW WA Processing Services

• Osprey Hill Farm (Acme, WA)
• Farmstead Meatsmith (Vashon, WA)

Processing Information

• Storage Temps for Poultry
• Butcher A Chicken 
• How to Butcher A Chicken – Joel Salatin (video)
• Small Scale Poultry Processing (ATTRA)
• Open Air Poultry Slaughter (OSU)
• Storage Temperatures for Poultry 

Processing Supplies

• CitroBio (peracetic acid; organic sanitizing agent). *Approved by Pennsylvania Certified Organic; but not listed under WSDA Organic Prgm
• SaniPac (peracetic acid; organic sanitizing agent). *Listed under WSDA Organic Prgm – see CH2O
• Webstaurant (vacuum bags, more)
• TekPak biodegradable bags
• Cornerstone Farm Ventures heat shrink bags
• Bunzl Processor Division of Koch Industries (shrink bags
• Ultrasource (shrink bags)

Regulatory and Licensing Links

• WSDA Regulations – Selling and Processing Poultry (see “#46 Selling Poultry”)
• WSDA Processing License
• WSDA – Handbook for Special Poultry Permit (1,000 birds/ year or less)
• WSDA – Selling Eggs (see “#30 Selling Eggs”)
• WSDA Organic Program  

Branding & Marketing

• Growing Your Range Poultry Business: An Entrepreneur’s Toolbox – ATTRA
• Pastured Poultry Profile – Ag MRC
• WSDA Small Farm & Direct Handbook (“Green Book”) 
• Certified Humane standards (broilers, layers, more)
• Farm Animal Welfare Certification Guide – ASPCA
• Animal Handling.org (guidelines)
• “Local Meat and Poultry” – USDA
• “Building a Values Based Supply for Chicken in Oregon’s Institutions” – Ecotrust
• “Differentiated Cost of Production in the Northwest” – Ecotrust
• “The Economics of Pacific Northwest Poultry: Investor Summary” – Cascadia Foodshed Financing Project
• “Oregon Food Infrastructure Gap Analysis” – Ecotrust

General Information

• Pastured Poultry Info (links library hosted by Oak Meadows Farm)
• Upcoming & Past Webinars for Small & Backyard Poultry – eXtension
• American Pastured Poultry Producers Association
• Practical Poultry Tips – Robert Plamondon
• Pastured Poultry Profits – Joel Salatin/ Polyface Farms
• Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture – SARE
• Poultry House Management for Alternative Production – ATTRA
• Label Rouge: Pasture-based Poultry Production In France – ATTRA
• Pastured Poultry Talk – podcast portal
• Raising Meat Ducks In Small and Backyard Flocks – eXtension
• Meat Chicken Breeds for Pastured Production – ATTRA
• Factors Affecting Poultry Meat Quality (The Poultry Site)
• USDA – NASS QuickStats: Washington (agricultural production data)
• USDA – NASS: Washington  Field Office – Historic Data
• U.S. Census Bureau – Explore Census Data (regional demographic data)