The Story of Chicken: From Gate to Plate
How Does It Start?
In breeder farms the hens lay approximately 150 to 155 fertilized eggs per year. These eggs are taken to hatcheries once or twice a week. Upon their arrival, the eggs are placed into incubators and kept at 37.5 °C. Hatching occurs 21 days after the incubation period.
The next step is the sexing of the chicks; this process is where they separate the males and the females – generally, because males and females grow at different rates, barns traditionally place birds of the same sex in their barns. Before they leave the hatchery, the birds are vaccinated to prevent illness. The chicks are placed in heated trucks and delivered to our farmers, all within 6-12 hours of hatching.
At The Farm
Chickens are raised on family farms. While it’s considered a major contributor to the Canadian economy, it’s still a family business. In fact, unlike in many other places in the world, over 90% of Canada’s farms are family-owned. Raising chickens requires a high degree of commitment and knowledge. During the seven or eight weeks that it takes to raise a flock, the farmer gives constant care and attention to their health and feeding.
When the flock arrives from the hatchery, chickens in Canada are raised in clean, well-ventilated, climate-controlled barns, where they can roam freely. The chicken barn is heated before the chicks are placed, in order to ensure they have warm, comfortable surroundings. Feed systems and water lines are checked daily to ensure that birds always have unrestricted access to food and water.
The main ingredient of all chicken feed (88 per cent) is grains and grain by-products, protein-producing seeds, and meal made from them such as canola or soybean meal. So, essentially, all chickens are "grain-fed." Heating, ventilation, humidity and other environmental levels are verified constantly, often using top of the line technology, to ensure that the birds are comfortable and stress-free. Chickens bred for consumption in Canada do not have their beaks trimmed.
Chickens are not given any hormones or steroids. Hormones and steroid use in Canada has been illegal since the 1960s.
Moreover, chicken is tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure that there are absolutely no medication residues that could cause any risk to human health.
Chicken farmers across Canada follow a strict on-farm food safety program, which sets the standards for raising the chicken Canadians trust. CFC's on-farm food safety program, called Safe, Safer, Safest, involves a food safety manual, audited on-farm practices, and recognition by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Safe, Safer Safest was first introduced to farmers in 1998. It was developed by farmers for farmers and respects Canadian regulatory requirements. The program combines good production practices (GPP) and internationally recognized Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles into chicken production.
For instance, under Safe, Safer, Safest, after chickens have been shipped to the processing plant, farmers follow strict barn cleaning procedures. Before the next flock is delivered, water lines are cleaned and/or disinfected and barns are extremely well cleaned, including litter removal. The program also stipulates that the farms' water supplies must be analyzed regularly. Stringent record keeping is an important component of on-farm food safety and allows Canadian chicken farmers to participate in quality control, traceability, and disease control.
An example: The flock sheet is a form used by farmers to record specific information about such things as feed, any medications used, number of birds placed, etc. A preliminary sheet is sent to the processor ahead of the flock shipment and the complete information is sent on a flock sheet with the shipment itself. The flock sheet serves as the farmers' assurance to the other links in the food chain that the birds have been produced in accordance with the strictest government and industry guidelines and regulations.
Within the entire program, top-notch safety procedures and standardized safety systems will be found on each Canadian farm. This will ensure that Canadian chicken farmers continue to produce safe and high quality product, as they have been doing for generations.
Chickens are raised in a proper environment of large barns, which are heated and well ventilated. Our chickens are not kept in cages. They roam freely on floors that are covered with soft, dry bedding or litter. They are given clean water and feed. After each flock, the barn, the floor and the equipment are disinfected and the litter is changed. The barns are left vacant for nearly a week before a new flock arrives.
Animal Care
Canada's chicken farmers firmly believe that animals should be treated with care. In fact, for the last 20 years, all industry partners have worked to develop guidelines and regulations governing animal care practices in Canada. For instance, chicken farmers follow the Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Poultry, which is a series of strict guidelines for the chicken industry. These codes were created over two decades ago and they are reviewed and revised often.
The most recent edition of the codes was published in 2003. This review process is conducted in cooperation with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and with partners in all aspects of poultry production in Canada. Other codes, guidelines and workshops are being implemented for the catching, handling and transportation of live birds. Partners throughout the industry work to ensure that animals experience the least amount of stress possible.
In March of 2003, CFC established an Animal Care Committee to examine the development of an auditable animal care program based on the existing Codes of Practice. The program is designed to demonstrate the level of care given to chickens on Canadian farms. Using the Codes of Practice as the backbone, the Animal Care Committee created auditable parameters around the requirements outlined in the codes and the first draft of the program was completed. Following the completion of the first draft of the Animal Care Program, the Animal Care Committee embarked on a consultation process to obtain feedback on the program.
During this consultation process, the Animal Care Committee solicited feedback from over 40 stakeholders representing provincial marketing boards, processors, academia, farm animal councils, catching companies, federal and provincial governments, the veterinary profession, restaurants, grocers, animal welfare organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, and well-known poultry welfare specialist, Ian Duncan, from the University of Guelph.
Animal care pilot projects were then initiated across the country with the objective of assessing the practicality and ease of implementation of the program.
CFC is currently working on implementation of the Animal Care Program at a national level.
Canada's supply management system is in itself a monitoring system. Farmers do not overpopulate their barns in order to secure greater return for their birds – and quota can be purchased only if farmers have the square footage required to properly care for their birds.
Moreover, our system allows us to remain in consistent communication with each and every one of our 2,800 farmers, giving us the capacity to get messages to all our farmers within a few hours, if required. Farmers own their product before it is sent to processors, ensuring that they have a vested interest in the proper care and handling of their birds. Otherwise, they will not see a financial return. For example, any product being found with bruises would be condemned and the farmer would not receive payment for it. It is good economic sense, as well as common sense, to take excellent care of our birds.
Feed
Again, the make-up and amount of feed given to chicken is very important to their growth cycle. In fact, it's a science. Farmers are very careful about what they feed their flocks at different times of their growth cycle. For example, if the feed is too energy-rich and the birds grow too fast and this can lead to growing problems. A flock's feeding program also affects the quality of the product sold to consumers. A well balanced feed program can r
educe the amount of fat on a chicken, for example.
Remember, Chickens are not given any hormones or steroids. Hormones and steroid use in Canada has been illegal since the 1960s.
Chicken feed usually comes in the form of crumbles. Crumbles improve the digestibility of feed and ensure the uniformity of the mix.
Again, the main ingredient of all chicken feed (88%) is grains and grain by-products, protein-producing seeds, and meal made from them such as canola or soybean meal. So all chickens are essentially "grain-fed." In much smaller quantities (around 10%), various other protein sources such as meat and bone meal/vegetable fats, are added to improve the nutritional content, taste and texture of the feed. In much, much smaller quantities (1.5%), mineral and vitamin supplements are commonly added to prevent any nutrient deficiencies. There are no hormones in chicken feed.
In Canada, the use of hormones in chicken feed has been banned since the 1960s. Chicken feed may also contain minute levels (less than 1 per cent) of additives such as enzymes and antibiotics to prevent disease and digestive problems. All of these additives are subject to strict regulations and are used in conjunction with good management, vaccination and hygiene practices.
Delivery to the Consumer
Between 6 and 8 weeks in the barns, the chickens are transported to the processing plants in trucks designed for shipping poultry. At the processing plant, every chicken is checked by an inspector who makes sure the chickens are healthy, safe and are ready to be sold to the consumer.