Free Range Hens Forced Inside By Bird Flu
By Cassidy White
InkFreeNews
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lately, free-range egg producers have been left wondering whether it is okay to keep free range chickens from ranging freely. These egg producers want to be open about their products but also fear what may happen if they force these hens inside, or if they leave them outside and risk them contracting the highly infectious bird flu what has killed roughly 28 million poultry across 29 states just this year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recommended that chickens be moved indoors, if possible, to protect against the disease. Some farmers have taken action quickly, but not everyone agrees with this sort of protection.
John Brunnquell, CEO of the Warsaw-based Egg Innovations, which contracts with over 50 farms between Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin, said all his chickens will be kept in “confinement mode” until four weeks of no more commercial outbreaks, with his earliest projected date to be sometime in early June. Since at least 2015, Brunnquell’s farms have not received any positive tests for the bird flu.
Mike Badger, executive director of the America Pastured Poultry Producers Associate, has decided to take a different approach.
Badger operates a non-profit based out of Pennsylvania with roughly 1,000 members nationwide. He believes birds kept outdoors pose a lower risk of infection than chickens and turkeys raised amongst thousands of others in large, enclosed barns.
“We put them outside and they get in touch with the environment, so I think they have a better immune system to be able to fight off threats as they happen,” stated Badger. However, research has not clearly proven any significant immune system differences in chickens raised either outdoors or indoors.
Badger also speculates that lower density of animals, air movement and less frequent equipment sharing amongst staff in pasture-raised operations may be a partial solution to lower the rate of infection.
Commercial outdoor flocks make up a very small percentage of all U.S. egg production. Roughly 6 million hens, or 2% of national flock, are free-range and roughly 4.2 million, or 1.3% of the national flock, are pasture-raised. These categories are based primarily on the amount of time chickens spent outdoors versus indoors.
The American Humane Association, which is responsible for certifying egg producers, states that free-range chickens must have at least 21.8 square feet of roaming space outdoors and must remain there until temperatures reach below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, while pasture-raised chickens must have at least 108 square feet of roaming space outdoors and must remain there except during inclement weather.
Bird flu is likely to remain an issue for a while more as migrating waterfowl will continue moving along the Mississippi Flyway until June. Typically, warmer weather and the end of migration has brought an end to bird flu cases, allowing farmers to begin the months-long process of replenishing.