Thanks for your interest regarding our Certified Organic Sommerlad Heritage Chickens, grown on our certified organic farm in South Australia.
Breeding:
Each week we hatch approx 75 baby chicks. Some of these will be selected at approx. 12 weeks to become our new parent birds. All birds are given free-range of our certified organic pasture, and protected day and night from predators by our two Maremma dogs.
Growing:
The day old chicks are kept safe and warm in specialty brooder boxes with a deep litter of untreated pine shavings (for bedding). They have a heat lamp (not light) on them to replicate the mother hen “brooding”. During winter, they stay in the brooder box for at least 2 weeks (Summer time it’s less), before they have a full covering of feathers to keep them warm on frosty nights!
Our chickens are supplement fed our own farm-grown certified organic wheat, and lupins, mixed with Country Heritage Feeds’ especially formulated Certified Organic concentrate, which is soy free, gmo free and corn free. No growth stimulants, antibiotics or cocciodiastats are in the feed.
Processing:
We cannot apply our certified organic logo to ANY of our poultry products, as Kapowie Poultry Processors do not have certified organic status at the abattoir. This is the only slaughtering option available to all SA small poultry producers.
Kapowie Poultry process to our specifications: First run of the day approved citrus-based wash down of their facility. No chlorine is used in the process at all. No pressure pumping of water into the meat at the ice bath stage. (Most other poultry processors pump up to 10% of the chicken weight of water into the meat!!) Separate holding/ packing routine for our birds, clear labelling, etc. We are in the factory to oversee the labelling and packing part, and very happy with the way they respect our birds and take care of them!
We hope this is helpful. Please email if you have any further questions.
Regards,
Justin and Rita Porker
KINMANA ORGANICS.
Leave a Reply