The nuances of feeding chickens in organic poultry farming are very complex

An important aspect of feed resources is the risk that organic poultry will compete with humans for protein sources, as 100% organic feeding is based on locally sourced feed, requiring no transportation and thus no exhaust air pollution. Scientists look for alternatives: algae, insects or earthworms?

Italian scientists from the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences of the University of Perugia and the Animal and Aquaculture Research Center of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics spoke about how difficult it is to create a balanced organic diet for chickens, using the example of the EU, in an article on the MDPI portal.

“Growth in poultry MEAT consumption in the world shows a clear positive trend. Consumers are attracted to poultry products due to the relatively low prices, uniformity of the product, high protein content and lower fat content, and lack of religious issues. Organic poultry farming is also on the rise, growing from 3% in 2017 to 8% in 2019.

For example, in the European Union, the number of certified organic poultry farms increased from 3% in 2017 to 8% in 2019. In addition, organic poultry production is expected to increase further as an alternative to traditional poultry farming.

In the EU, alternative chicken rearing (i.e. free-range and organic) often breeds slow growing genotypes, which are estimated to be between 2 and 5% of total organic poultry.

Slow growing genotypes are preferred due to their ability to cope with organic conditions that require access to large open areas.

Indeed, commercial lines of chickens achieve high productivity, but, being precocious, their metabolism in the body is fast and therefore the birds have poor thermoregulatory abilities. In contrast, native backyard chickens or less productive genetic strains are well-adapted to a "natural" environment with a resilience that allows them to survive and reproduce continuously.

Interestingly, the results of a study comparing large organic broiler farms with the same company's conventional broiler farms in North Carolina showed that the prevalence of fecal salmonella was lower in certified organic birds than in conventionally raised birds and that the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella pathogen was higher in conventionally raised birds than in certified organic birds.

In Sweden, scientists found that Campylobacter jejuni isolated from conventionally raised chickens showed higher resistance to quinolones, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin than C. jejuni isolated from organic chickens.

The growth in poultry meat production has been accompanied by structural changes characterized by the emergence and growth of “land-independent” production chains, as well as the intensification and concentration of poultry operations, in which traditional poultry farms purchase most of the feed.

On the contrary, an organic philosophy should be based on circular agriculture and a close connection with the farm.

In one study of a group of European consumers, the authors of the survey asked for a definition of the "ideal poultry farm".

27% of survey participants noted that the ideal poultry farm should use local feed, preferably grown on the same farm. 23% of the participants stressed that the food used should not be "imported", "should not come from South America" ​​and "not be genetically modified".

With the exception of the availability of corn and soybeans, where the EU is dependent on imports and far from self-sufficient, organic production is almost entirely up to par.

However, organic feed costs are about 35-40% higher than conventional poultry farms.

Feed plays an important role in organic poultry farming because the dietary needs of poultry are very specific and different from those of ruminants.

Poultry meat production is strictly tied to feed quality, as chickens, including broilers, have specific energy and essential amino acid requirements.

In particular, lysine and methionine must be supplied directly with the feed, since birds cannot synthesize them. Methionine is an essential amino acid important for feather growth, protein synthesis and breakdown, feeding efficiency and influences egg mass, laying rate and immune response. At the same time, lysine is especially important for the development of breast muscles.

Poultry diets are based on corn and soy FLOUR, high in energy, low in fiber and high quality protein, mainly soy.

EU regulations for organic poultry production do not allow the use of ingredients obtained by chemical extraction (eg soybean meal) or synthetic amino acids.

Synthetic solvents for organic poultry production are also banned in CANADA, the US and Australia.

Lysine and methionine are approved for monogastric animals in Canada and the US, however, some US organic certification bodies do not allow the use of synthetic amino acids. In Australia, only methionine is allowed for poultry.

As for soybeans, while 'no deforestation' organic beans are available in the EU (about 10Mt in 2018, about 23% of what is needed), most soybeans come from the Americas.

In 2018, the EU imported 15.5 million tons of soybeans from Brazil, the US and Argentina. On the European continent, soybeans are mainly produced in RUSSIA and Ukraine. Current international conflicts make this market unstable and uncertain.

Other sources of protein can be used in organic diets, and it should be remembered that animal proteins usually have a higher biological value than vegetable proteins.

Accordingly, fishmeal is a source of protein for monogastric feeds, however, competition for this resource will intensify with projected population growth as demand for protein-rich agricultural commodities is expected to be strong. Therefore, protein sources that do not compete with human food are highly desirable.

Legumes, for example, are rich in protein with a suitable amino acid profile, but also contain anti-nutritional factors (eg, trypsin inhibitor, lectins, vicin, and convicin) that require heat treatment or other processing steps before being fed to poultry.

It is well known that some crops such as soybean and rapeseed are grown for oil, and concentrated protein meal is made after oil extraction. But as discussed above, EU rules for organic feed prohibit products with chemical solvents.

On the other hand, corn hybrids with high methionine content are being developed.

Gluten feed is a key ingredient in organic chicken diets. The gluten market is estimated to grow at 5.7% per year, potentially reaching US$1.24 billion by 2026, demonstrating high potential during the said forecast period.

Seaweed is rich in protein and methionine, and high in omega-3 fatty acids, but is very expensive. In addition, the methods of their cultivation are still insufficiently developed.

Alternative sources of protein (eg earthworms and insects) can contribute to organic poultry production, but several points need to be considered regarding the safety and sustainability of production.

Earthworms, for example, have a well-balanced nutrient profile and an amino acid profile similar to or better than soy or fishmeal.

Insect meal has a higher concentration of protein than soy and, as with soy, leucine is the most abundant nutrient, while lysine levels are usually low. At the same time, the feed substrate strongly affects the nutritional characteristics of insect meal: a high lysine content can only be obtained if special growing substrates are available. The same is true for fatty acid profiles: the composition of the fat is highly dependent on the substrate used during larval development.

The black soldier fly is one of the most popular fodder insects, but the amount of lysine and methionine in the larvae does not cover the needs of chickens. To obtain a suitable amount of lysine in the prepupae of the black soldier fly, a well-balanced amount of protein and fiber in the substrate is necessary; growth on a standard substrate based on 75% DM carbohydrates results in low lysine prepupae.

Moreover, in order to compete with traditional protein sources and become suitable as animal feed, as well as to meet the growing worldwide demand for protein, the cost of insect meal must be significantly reduced.

In general, creating a complete diet for organic chickens based on locally produced feed is a difficult task that needs to be worked on.”