Theoretical basis of obtaining poultry products of «organic» status

Abstract

The authors considered organic poultry production and presented a qualitative analysis of the diets used in raising broiler chickens. The authors also evaluated the possibility of switching from traditional diets to diets without chemical and microbial synthesis ingredients based on comparative data on the performance and economics of broiler chicken meat production. Organic requirements prohibit the use of microbial and chemical synthesis and genetically modified products in poultry feed. Obtaining large quantities of poultry products in a short period and at an affordable price involves using all kinds of additives that do not allow the products to qualify as organic. Surveys and opinion polls show that a new layer of consumers is today willing to buy organic poultry meat at a higher price. The aim of this work is to evaluate the possibility of producing organic meat from broiler chickens. The research was carried out at the Berdskaya poultry farm, and the test object was broiler chickens of the Iza cross. The age of broiler chickens ranged from one to 40 days old. The authors compared the effectiveness of traditional industrial diets and diets without microbial and chemical synthesis products. During the experiment, live poultry weight, average daily and gross gains, survival, feed costs and cost-effectiveness were considered. In commercial broiler chickens raised on diets without chemical and microbial synthesis ingredients during slaughter, the average live weight was 64.0% lower than that of broiler chickens in the experimental group. The average daily gain of these same broilers was also 52.9% lower. Feed costs per unit of production in industrial broiler chickens increased 1.7 times with the same survival rate of young animals (92.2%). Increasing the rearing period to 70 days resulted in a 1.4-fold increase in feed costs. The level of profitability decreased by 61.2 %, with a decrease in productivity. Increasing the price per kg of meat by 25 50 100 % would increase the profitability level by 22.4 4.7 -133.5 %, respectively, compared to the traditional method.