A New Member of the #ChickenSquad: Meeting BC Chicken Farmers

We are a household of chicken lovers. We eat chicken – a LOT of chicken, we look forward to harvesting eggs while hanging out with the chickens, we call each other chicken, and we exchange chicken jokes. All. Day. Long.

We love chicken.

And that includes MY little chicken, LD. (seriously, doesn’t she look like a little chicken? Love this kid).

Ever since our little Chickenista turned the big 4.0, we’ve noticed a shift in her interest with eating. Her main mantra these days is that eating is highly overrated. It takes negotiation, empty threats, bribery, trickery, distraction, and good ol’ fashioned weeping for us to get this picky little mama to eat. But when it comes to chicken… the tables are turned. She actually begs us to eat it.

I know… it’s weird right? But the fact is, it’s one of those things that is generally acceptable to otherwise picky eaters – at least, in my experience. Three of LD‘s little playmates only eats chicken, my Godson prefers chicken breast with nothing on it even when presented with a crispy and juicy chicken thigh dripping with bbq sauce, four of my close friends do not consider dinner dinner unless chicken is involved, even Big Daddy seems to react with a big smile when I make him his favorite chicken dish. Yes, chicken is where it’s at.

But… is that egg all that it’s cracked up to be?

I’m pretty sure much of the population, myself included, have fallen for the notion that the chicken we eat is riddled with hormones and steroids. Sure, for the most part, our assumptions (and, as you will soon discover reading further, misinformation) do not stop us from feeding our four year olds mounds and mounds of chicken on a weekly basis. I mean, if she’ll eat it – let her have it, right? However, I still needed to know – are the chickens we eat in BC, free of hormones and steroids?

<Cue Music> – Enter… The Chicken Squad.

Just this past weekend, we spoke to Cheryl Davie, an ambassador for the BC Chicken Marketing Board, and she set me straight. The BC Chicken Squad started grass roots from the BC Chicken Farmers themselves a few years back. Their aim was to educate people, like me, on how the BC chickens are indeed free of hormones and steroids, and to ward off the myths and assumptions that consumers had. They wanted to reach out to a young, urban target through a parody movie action trailer. And reach out, they did! In fact, this trailer, starring real BC Chicken Farmers – will be showing in select Cineplex theaters around BC this summer.

With all this talk of the Chicken Squad, we thought it would behoove us to hear it straight from the source. We quickly got to know a couple BC Chicken Farmers, Allan Beaudreau and Amanda Martin. They took us through the whole process from chick to chicken, and we definitely gained a new perspective on the quality of chicken we are bringing home and putting on the dinner table.

Here is what we learned about BC Chicken production process:

THE PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH – AN OVERVIEW
Each cycle is approximately 8 weeks (with a two week window in between each cycle)

1. The chicks are ordered
2. Eggs go into the incubator
3. After an allotted time, the eggs are taken out of the incubator – referred to as “day old chick”
4. Farmers receive the day old chick as broiler farmers in BC and grow the chick out up to 34 – 42 days
5. Chicken gets processed
6. Chickens are delivered the next day in grocery stores all over the province

THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE CHICKENS ARE RAISED

• Chickens are not caged and are in fact, free to run
• Good lighting
• Space is such that the chickens have room to move
• Goverened by agencies that inspect every year
• Barns are cleaned out and sanitized every cycle (within the 2 week window between cycles in preparation for the next cycle)
• Chicks come to the new, fresh, clean sanitized environment – they have access to water and feed at all times.
• They eat and drink as much as they want, when they want, what they want (Lucky chickens!)

STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES IN RAISING THE HIGHEST QUALITY CHICKENS

• Floor space – Farmers are allotted a certain amount of birds per square footage of their barn space.
• Lighting programs
• Fresh ventilation and heat provided accordingly
• Humidity, CO2, and ammonia levels are monitored ongoing
• The farmers give their chickens the best growing environment they can possibly provide through the best technology.
• In order to sell Chicken in BC –  your processing plant must be inspected provincially or federally. Each farm is certified and inspected. Chickens are also tested for scratches, bruises, cellulitis.

WHAT MAKES BC GROWN PRODUCTS STAND OUT ABOVE THE REST

• The rules/regulations/standards that the government has put in place in the province of BC (for the last 4 decades)
• Biosecurity since the flu outbreak in 2014 has become stricter than in the past, as far as cross-contamination farm to farm

FEED FORMULATIONS STANDARD FOR ALL BC FARMS

• Mainly veggie based with soya or animal protein added.
• Chickens are naturally omnivorous. Veggie-fed chicken are specifically marked
• 3 part feed:

1. Starter feed – Easily digested and consumed for the smaller, younger chicks
2. Grower feed – Helps the chicks build their structure and put on mass
3. Finisher feed – For the last phase of growth

PUBLIC ACCESS

• Not allowed or encouraged for the most part.
• Biosecurity areas are set around the perimeter of the barns: no vehicles or foot traffic, without the farmer’s knowledge. Visitors must be checked-in. Public access is highly discouraged in the barn, other than the farmer or the workers.
• In the barn itself there is a “anti_room” (room before entering the barn) where the farmer goes in and changes from outside boots to inside boots. They must de-suit and sanitize to go in.
• The Chicken Squad has set up at select open houses (like this particular event we attended at Save-On Grocery) for educational purposes to protect the chickens and to control public access.

AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK AND PREVENTION

• Biosecurity and the farmer controls the ins and outs of the chicken environment. Keeping the wild birds and pawns away from the barns is one of main priorities in controlling the environment and maintaining safety for the chickens.
• The first outbreak of the Influenza virus was in 2004 with a secondary outbreak in 2014. What people are not aware of is that the majority of actual birds have the Avian Influenza virus, but they still carry the anti-virus. Chickens in BC do not have either the virus or the anti-virus. However, the use of steroids or hormones is strictly prohibited on BC Chicken Farms.
• Biosecurity and protocol is put in place to ensure if there is ever an outbreak – the farmers know how to treat accordingly.

LD was thrilled to get the inside scoop on the Chicken Squad and meeting BC Chicken Farmers face to face.

She was, in fact, star struck (sure, she’s lived in Hollywood for most of her life, but she’s never met a Chicken Farmer before!)

Many questions were asked of the chicken experts, by the Chickenista herself…

She took her job very seriously…

She was given the chance to see the Chickens at the farm, straight from a BC Chicken Farmer’s smartphone…

She even got a sample, or 10.

And as an honorary Chickenista, LD was given her very own BC Chicken Squad badge, much to her enjoyment.

Meeting BC Chicken Farmers was not only educational but an eye-opening experience for these two chicken lovers. We learned so much and are that much more eager to support our home grown poultry. We went there knowing half truths, and we came out virtually BC Chicken Pros! We gave this event two thumbs up!

The only thing with regards to chicken, that I am still not sure about is… why the heck did that chicken cross the road??? Oh well. I guess there are just some things we will never understand.

Visit www.chickensquad.ca for more information on the Chicken Squad Movement. Because we can never be too informed about what we put in our bellies.

_{Hair:: Hot Tot Sweet Pea Curl Serum Signature Cabbage Patch  |  Accessories:: Peach head scarf (similar Peppercorn Kids Polka Dot Scarf  here) | Bari Lynn Girl’s Crystallized Snap Bracelet here) | Dress:: Melissa Odabash Toddler’s & Little Girl’s Two-Tone Embroidered Sundress)  |  Footwear:: Sketchers Ankle Cowboy Boots (similar Cherokee Toddler Girl’s Dalina Boots – Tan here)} 

The LOOK:: Want it? GET it!

If you’re off to see some chickens, make it country chic,  

“Like” us on Facebook

“Tweet” us on Twitter

“Catch” us on YouTube

“Hangout” with us on Google+

“Follow” us on Instagram @babystylista  

“Pin” us on Pinterest

Follow deBalino · babyStylista’s board Foodie on Pinterest.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS.