Quick Facts about Chicken Farming in Ontario

1. Chickens raised for meat – called broilers – are raised in climate-controlled barns where they are free to roam and are protected from hot summers, cold winters, predators and disease.

2. Chickens have unlimited access to clean water and nutritious feed 24 hours a day.

3. Chickens eat a healthy balanced diet consisting primarily of grains (corn, soya, wheat) and a protein-mineral supplement. All ingredients are government approved.

4. Chickens are not given hormones. In fact, hormones are not available in Canada and their use is illegal.

5. Chickens are full grown in about six to eight weeks and farmers produce five or six flocks a year

6. Ontario chicken famers thoroughly clean out their barns between each flock. Disinfection of the barns is an important element of the food safety program. It gives our farmers the distinction of having one of the highest cleanliness standards in the world.

7. In 2009 Ontario chicken farmers produced approximately 330 million kilograms of chicken – the equivalent of 618 million quarter chicken meals!

8. Over 1,000 chicken farmers provide Ontarians with this safe, nutritious product

 

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