Spring is in full swing here on the farm, and with the nicer weather, we've made progress on our duck house.
We have a number of goals in building this new structure, but at the forefront of the list is applying for NPIP certification. NPIP is the National Poultry Improvement Plan, or a way to standardize raising birds to minimize disease transmission. Under NPIP, a producer regularly tests their flock for disease (pullorum and avian influenza, usually), and abides by certain rules to minimize exposure of captive birds to disease vectors from wildlife. Once a farm is NPIP certified, they are allowed certain activities for their business, including shipping hatching eggs or birds across state lines. A discerning individual may look for NPIP certification before purchasing stock locally to ensure that they receive healthy stock.
One of the problems with NPIP certification is that it has nothing whatsoever to do with animal wellbeing. As we are in the business of raising ducks, we've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of raising these animals. Ducks are aquatic birds that are found in wet ecosystems across the globe, including marshes, glades, swamps, and along rivers. As a domestic animal, they still need a lot more water than other fowl, and it is especially important that ducks have water that is deep enough to allow them to flush their nares, or nostrils. In the not-too-distant past, we purchased a small flock of ducks that were from an NPIP certified farm, and we were not impressed by the health and wellbeing of the animals. The ducks had little to no access to deep enough water. As such, they were covered in sticky mud that had become glued to their toenails, eyes, and all over their plumage, inhibiting their feathers from functioning properly and denying the birds of their ability to thermoregulate. We had to cut out the chunk of mud from the eye of the bird pictured below. They were underweight, malnourished, and hardly behaved like ducks at all. We had to dunk each individual bird into the water to remind them of what they were and how water worked- they literally needed the stimulation of being wet to remind them to preen their feathers. They eventually figured it out.
We share this story not to shame anyone (the name of the farm was intentionally withheld), but to remind you that labels and certifications can only take you so far. Organic certification does not exclude all pesticides and herbicides. Non-GMO does not necessarily exclude ALL glyphosate. And NPIP certified does not mean the birds are being taken care of properly. So get to know your producer and ask questions!
For us, one of the challenges with becoming NPIP certified will be in making sure our birds still have access to fresh pasture and plenty of space to roam. We have no interest in becoming a factory farm or compromising our principles for production. We are constructing a 100'x100' run that the ducks will have access to during the day. We just have to run some bird netting, and voila!
........who wants to help hang 100' of bird netting? Anyone?!?
Commentaires