ORGANIC AND NON-ORGANIC FEED

There are two types of chicken broiler feed, organic and non-organic. Organic is type of
chicken feed that is raised without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and other chemical
compounds. “Organic” refers to the way livestock and agricultural products are raised and
processed, which involves avoiding agrichemicals such as synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
Although “nonchemical” farming is a good working definition, avoiding agrichemicals is just
one feature). Meanwhile, non-organic feed is type of chicken feed that consist of chemical
compound such as synthetic methionin (synthetic amio acids), GMO raw materials, and
synthetic fertilizer/pesticides. In USA, Feed formulation and manufacturing for organic poultry
are strictly regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic
Program. Currently, no synthetic amino acids are allowed to be used in organic poultry diets in
the United States except for limited quantities of synthetic methionine since it is typically
considered the first or second limiting amino acid in corn and soybean meal based poultry diets
and it is a critical nutrient for maintaining bird growth and productive performance, especially
regarding egg size in laying hens. The restriction of synthetic methionin can give some
drawbacks to the breeders, such as they need to use high level of crude protein to meet bird
methionine requirements, which both increases feed costs and can have negative impacts on
bird health and on air quality and the surrounding environment due to increased ammonia
emissions. As a fact, there are almost none organic raw materials that could satisfy the
methionine chicken broiler intake. If the methionine intake of the chicken dont meet its
requirements, the chicken growth will be affected, and if the methionine intake of the chicken
exceed its requirements, it would be harmful for both the environments and the chicken .
The organic feed is usually more expensive than the non-organic ones. That’s because
feeds that have been defatted with chemical solvents are not permitted, only roasted,
extruded, or expelled soybeans are used. Animal drugs, slaughter byproducts, antibiotics, and
feed from genetically modified organisms (GMO) are not allowed in organic feed, too. But,
despite the organic feed usually doesn’t consist of the synthethic compound, but synthethic
vitamins and minerals are allowed to be contained in the organic feed.
Although synthetic vitamins or minerals are permitted in organic production, synthetic
amino acids are not; however, synthetic methionine is permitted for a limited time for
poultry. Feed supplements, such as fishmeal, enzymes, and oyster shell, are permitted in
larger amounts than feed additives to improve the nutrient balance. The fishmeal does not
have to be organic, because it is a natural substance used as a feed supplement. However,
prohibited substances such as ethoxyquin cannot be added to preserve the fishmeal. Feed
additives or supplements cannot be from GMO.
There are some effect and benefits of using the organic feed or the
nonorganic/conventonal feed. The effects and benefits are,
 On the average, the conventionally produced feeds had a 10 % higher protein
content
 The chickens that eat the nonorganic/conventionally feed showed overall a higher
weight gain during life span than the other group of chicken that eat the organic
feed
 The chickens on organic feed showed an enhanced immune reactivity
 Using the nonorganic feed is more economical friendly than the organic feed
 Conclusion Bagian Yogi :
 Organic feed is type of chicken feed that is raised without synthetic fertilizers,
pesticides and other chemical compounds
 Non-organic feed is type of chicken feed that consist of chemical compound
such as synthetic methionin (synthetic amio acids), GMO raw materials, and
synthetic fertilizer/pesticides
 The broiler chicken demand is increasing gradually every years and its demand
had surpassed the beef demand by year 1996

Reference

Organic poultry production in the United States: Broilers, The Journal of Applied Poultry
Research, Volume 18, Issue 2, 1 July 2009, Pages 355–366, (Accesed online at 11 February
2018 on https://doi.org/10.3382/japr.2008-00123)

Formulation challenges of organic poultry diets with readily available ingredients and limited
synthetic methionine, The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, Volume 25, Issue 3, 1
September 2016, Pages 443–454, (Accesed online at 11 February 2018
on https://doi.org/10.3382/japr/pfw012)
Effects of Organic and Conventional Feed on Chickens, (Accesed online at 11 February 2018
on http://www.organicag.org/effects-organic-and-conventional-feed-chickens)
Huber, M. et. al. (2010). Effects of organically and conventionally produced feed on
biomarkers of health in a chicken model. British Journal of Nutrition 103(5): 663-676.
Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114509992236