Nutritionists unanimously call chicken eggs the main product for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They include 12 essential vitamins, important trace elements and amino acids. A chicken egg is not inferior to such highly nutritious foods as cow’s milk and butter.
But only eggs from laying hens, which are grown in a natural environment without antibiotics and synthetic feed additives, can boast a fairly high content of nutrients. If you have ever tried eggs in the village, from chickens that our grandparents raise, then you do not need to explain their advantages over factory eggs. Even their taste is more intense, and what can we say about nutritional value. Such eggs provide the body with nutrients to a greater extent.
Today, there are more and more supporters of proper nutrition, who prefer food grown in environmentally friendly conditions. Such products are called “organic”, or organic products. But what is behind these words, what does “organic” mean? Organic products are products resulting from certified organic production, using only naturally occurring substances and processes and harmless processing methods that guarantee the preservation of the organic integrity and nutritional qualities of the product at all stages of the production process.
Naturally, the question arises: “Is it possible to get organic eggs not only in our own yard, but also in the conditions of our domestic poultry farms or poultry farms? It is possible, but only if certain rules for caring for a bird are observed. Unlike a factory bird, such a bird cannot be grown in cages; it must have a sufficiently large space for natural life.
When growing organic poultry, a walking system is provided in which chickens graze on the farm. They eat organic food, walk and behave as in natural conditions. Unfortunately, today in Ukraine there are only a few such farms. And one of the first farms where they began to produce organic chicken eggs was PJSC “Agrofirma Berezanskaya Poultry Farm” (Kyiv region). We managed to communicate with the director and leading specialists of this enterprise.
director of PJSC “Agrofirma Berezanskaya Poultry Farm”: We have had the idea to produce organic eggs for a long time. But the opportunity to start its implementation has appeared only now. The fact is that organic egg production involves not only the best storage conditions for poultry, but also the correct full-fledged feeding with environmentally friendly feed, all components of which are produced and grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides.
bioengineering and the like. In organic poultry farming, under the ban on the use of growth stimulants and other hormones, genetically modified organisms as feed additives, the use of synthetic vitamins, antibiotics and other veterinary drugs is strictly limited. Such feed, which fully complies with these requirements, is currently provided by the Letichevsky feed mill (Yedinstvo Group of Companies).
It was the principled position regarding the use of natural, environmentally friendly products and the absence of growth stimulants and antibiotics in the composition of the Letichevsky KZ products that drew our attention to this production. Specialists of the Group of Companies “Yedinstvo” have developed for us compound feed based on environmentally friendly grain crops without GMOs and using grass flour
Where is it better for chickens – in a cage or in freedom? More poultry professionals are convinced that free-range eggs produce better eggs. In the wild, chickens eat what they want, run outdoors, so these factors can affect the taste of the egg, as the body produces less stress hormones. In some countries, placing a bird in a small space is considered cruelty. And although a chicken feels no worse with good care.
still keeping in a cage cannot be compared with freedom. Back in 1999, the European Commission adopted Directive N1999 / 74 / CE, which ordered all egg producers in the Union countries to take measures for the “humane” maintenance of laying hens. All European farms that produced eggs were obliged during the transitional period to refurbish farms according to the following rules: each hen must have at least 750 cm2 of cage area, of which 600 cm2 is used area, and the total area of \u200b\u200beach cage must be at least 2000 cm2.
And since January 2012, the European Union has entered into a complete ban on keeping laying hens in unsuitable small cages. The ban is aimed at improving the conditions for keeping laying hens in order to meet the physiological needs of the bird. Promin YuYu., project coordinator: We had to work hard to organize production, since the conditions for growing organic laying hens have strict requirements and should be as close as possible to natural ecosystems. So, for example.
in addition to the fact that they are strictly forbidden to be grown in cages, each chicken still needs to be provided with at least four square meters where it could move freely. Laying hens must be reared in daylight both indoors and outdoors. They need a nesting place made of natural materials, a place for digging and biting. Perches should be provided, with at least 15 cm per hen. There should be a freely usable feeder and drinking system in the room.
which corresponds to the number of hens. They need to be fed with ecological, mainly produced at enterprises, feed. Chemically processed foods are prohibited, as are synthetic amino acid or antibiotic supplements. Only with strict adherence to these rules (verified by the certifying company), the manufacturer receives a document that allows you to put the brand “organic”.
