Organic farming requires only organic substances that are bio-degradable.
#ORGANIC POULTRY FARM FREE#
The system offer free range high quality birds that sell at premium prices. Some include reduction of chemical use, low investment and production of organic products. There are many advantages derived from organic farming. The birds are specially selected and feed appropriate nutrients. The property should be fenced, suitable for organic production with natural clean water. Things to consider before starting are properly managed farmland with natural vegetation.
#ORGANIC POULTRY FARM FULL#
The product attracts premium price in the market and is applicable full or part time. The birds are kept free range or caged according to set laws and guidelines. In this way, the loop is closed.Organic poultry: Crop cultivation and organic poultry production are complementary. He has also found a sensible and sustainable solution for the excretions of his three flocks: a part goes towards producing top-quality organic fertiliser for end customers and the rest goes back to the feed manufacturers as fertiliser. "The chickens that we raise are all different and it's very exciting for us when new chicks arrive," says Johannes Zarfl. During this time they may not gain more than 40 grams per day. The baby chicks come to the farm one day after hatching and stay there for 60 days on average. He has been raising organic poultry for 15 years, and for the past five as supplier to the Huber Group. "When the animals are doing well, we're also doing well," is the farmer's tenet. The Zarfl family also attaches prime importance to the well-being of their chickens.
"Consumer awareness of animal welfare and species-appropriate husbandry is growing and will continue to boost our business." "Sales of our organic poultry products have sky-rocketed in the past few years," says Sylvia Huber.
Today, organic poultry accounts for more than ten percent of their total business. The founders, Maria and Johann Huber, realised at an early stage that their company could only survive on the market by providing excellent quality. "Those who want to work with us in this area must have been an organic farmer for at least three years and have converted their entire farm to this form of agriculture," explains Sylvia Huber, Head of Marketing and Distribution at Hubers Landhendl.Īs the first company of its kind in Austria, Huber began to raise organic chickens at the beginning of the 1990s. The Zarfl family's farm is one of around 100 fattening farms in Austria and southern Germany who supply the Huber group with organic chicken and turkey. "Our chickens enjoy the very best conditions here: fresh air, clean spring water and large meadows where they can roam freely," explains Johannes Zarfl. Daughter Melanie, a qualified poultry expert and designated successor farmer, looks after 4,000 animals. The Zarfl spouses themselves care for two flocks of 4,800 animals each.
Here, four generations of the family live under one roof – from the 89-year-old great-grandmother to the baby that is a few months old – and take care of some 13,600 chickens that are raised in accordance with organic standards. The Zarfl family's farm is located in picturesque Lavanttal in Kärnten at an altitude of 1,100 metres above sea level. And this trend is rising in tandem with customer demand for meat from animal-friendly production. Today it is one of the biggest suppliers in Europe. The Austrian company started with the processing of organic chicken more than a quarter century ago.
Hubers, one of the pioneers in organic poultry production, has been part of the Bell family for the past year. For the well-being of animals – and people