Pastured Poultry Profit$

March 19, 1991

In this book a proven production model is described, which is capable of producing an income from a small acreage equal or superior to that of most off-farm jobs. However, this production model is capable of producing more than money. It is capable of producing a very high quality of life as anyone who has ever visited Joel and Teresa’s farm can attest.

As much as I admire Joel Salatin’s agricultural engineering abilities, I admire even more his steadfast refusal to compromise his family’s quality of life. Probably the greatest lesson we can learn from Joel’s success is that if we produce a high enough quality product the marketplace will bend and adapt itself to meet our needs, wants and desires. We just need to have faith and stand our ground.

This production model should be viewed as a whole. All of the recommendations contained in this book are the results of many years of costly trial and error and should not be dismissed lightly in your initial efforts. This model will not return the same dollars if it is done on a non-seasonal basis, or if the chickens are sold in any method other than live and direct. Most of the disappointments with pastured poultry have come from people who thought they could come up with an “easier” production or marketing model than Joel is using.

As Joel points out, you should start off producing no more chickens than you and your family can consume until you are sure you can produce a superior product. The first person you have to sell on your chicken is you. Your best advertising will be the exceptional taste of your chicken. Give some to your friends and neighbors and let your business grow slowly from word of mouth referrals. Start small and give yourself plenty of time to see if pastured poultry truly fits your needs and life-style before investing a lot of capital.

Due to the necessity to condition the pasture for the chickens and to rotate the land where the chickens are grazed, this production model is best used in combination with some form of ruminant livestock production. In addition to poultry, Joel also sells excellent grass-fed beef.

All of us interested in seeing an American rural revival should thank Joel and Teresa Salatin for going to the effort and expense to share their experiences and recommendations for pastured poultry with you.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

About Polyface Farm

WHY PASTURED POULTRY?

1   The Pastured Poultry Opportunity

2   What is Wrong With the Poultry Industry?

3   Fat Animals, Fat People

4   Family Background

IN THE BEGINNING

5   Getting Started

6   Choosing a Breed

7   The Brooder

8   Starting the Chicks

9   Ration

OUT TO PASTURE

10  The Pen

11  Moving the Chicks Out to Pasture

12  Pasture Logistics

13  What Kind of Pasture?

PROCESSING

14  On-Farm Slaughter: The Advantages . . .

15  Slaughter Mechanics

16  Composting Slaughter Wastes 1

17  Inspection

PROBLEMS (IT’S NOT ALL ROSES)

18  The Learning Curve

19  Sickness and Disease

20  Predators

21  Weather

22  Stress

23  Troubleshooting Poor Performance

24  Shortcuts

25  Seasonality

26  Solving Your Own Problems

MARKETING

27  Marketing

28  Relationship Marketing

29  Advertising

30  Liability

31  Is It Organic?

POSSIBILITIES

32  Vision

33  Laying Hens: Three Options

34  Turkeys

35  Exotics

APPENDICES

Appendix A-Resources

Appendix B-Newsletters

What is the Difference?

Addendum for 1996 Reprinting

Addendum for 1999 Reprinting

What About Eggs?

Hoophouses

Turkeys