Miller's Pastured Poultry

Conventional Poultry

Unvaccinated

Vaccinated (immuno-suppressant)

Full beak (no cannibalism)

Debeaked (cannibalism problems)

Probiotics (immuno-stimulant)

Antibiotics (immuno-depressant)

Composting litter in brooder
(sanitized through decomposition)

Sterilized litter(sanitized through
toxic fumigants and sprays)

Carbon/Nitrogen ratio 30:1

Carbon/Nitrogen ration 12:1

Practically no ammonia vapor (smell)

Hyper-ammonia toxicity

Rest at night when sun goes down

Artificial lighting 24 hours/day

No medications

Routine medications

No synthetic vitamins

Routine synthetic vitamins

No hormones

Routine hormones

No appetite stimulants

Routine appetite stimulants (arsenic)

Natural trace minerals (kelp)

Manufactured trace minerals

Small groups (200 or fewer)

Huge groups (10,000 or more)

Low stress (group division)

High stress

Clean air

Air hazy with fecal particulate
(damages respiratory tract)

Fresh air and sunshine

Limited air/practically no sunshine

Plenty of exercise

Limited exercise

Fresh daily salad bar

No green material or bugs

Short transport to processing

Long transport to processing

Killed by slitting throat
(per Biblical directives)

Killed by electric shock
(inhibits bleeding after throat is slit)

Carefully hand eviscerated

Mechanically eviscerated
(prone to breaking intestines
and spilling feces on carcass)

Processing uses approx 2.5 gal water/bird

Processing uses 5 gal water/bird

Organs and feathers composted and used for fertilizer

Organs cooked, rendered, then fed back to chickens

Customer inspected

Government inspected

No injections ever

Routine injections (tenderizers & dyes)

Dead birds composted

Dead birds buried or incinerated

Weak birds put in “hospital” shelter
for second chance; most get well

Weak birds destroyed

Manure falls directly on growing forage
and active soil for efficient nutrient cycling;
converted to plants

Manure fed to cattle or spread
inappropriately (ammonia vaporization-air
pollution, nitrate leaching-water pollution)

Fresh air and sunshine sanitize processing area

Toxic germicides to sanitize processing facility

Cooking loss approx 9% of carcass weight

Cooking loss approx 20% of carcass weight

Long keepers (freeze more than 1 year)

Short keepers (freeze 6 mos. or less)

No drug-resistant diseases

Drug-resistant diseases
(R-factor Salmonella)

Low saturated fat

High saturated fat

No chlorine baths during processing

Up to 40 chlorine baths
(to kill contaminants)

No irradiation

FDA-approved irradiation
(label not required)

Environmentally responsible

Environmentally irresponsible

Promotes family farming

Promotes feudal/serf agriculture

Decentralized food system

Centralized food system

Rural revitialization

Urban expansion at expense of rural areas

Consumer/producer relationship developed

Consumer/producer alienation

Rich/delicious taste

Poor, flat taste

Source: Joel Salatin, Pastured Poultry Profits