Q: Why is Perdue contracting with farmers to build more chicken houses?

A: There are three main reasons:

1. As part of our promise to advance our animal care programs, we are giving our chickens more space. That means we need more chicken houses to grow the same number of chickens.
2. We’re growing more organic chickens to meet the increasing demand. Because an operation has to be free of chemical use for a period of three years (or undergo mitigation), and because organic requirements prohibit such materials as pressure treated wood, many existing poultry operations cannot be easily transitioned to organic. We also need to find farmers whose land surrounding the poultry operation will meet the strict requirements of organic production.
3. We need to replace farms lost through normal attrition, including farmers who retire or sell their farms.

Q: Isn’t there a lot of dust and noise from the fans?

A: No agricultural operation of any kind is without some noise, odors and dust. We work with our farmers to site new chicken houses with enough distance between the poultry operation and nearby residences minimize any impact on neighbors. At the distance Perdue recommends, the sound of the fans is barely noticeable. Vegetative buffers help capture dust and reduce noise. 

Q: What about the smells from a poultry operation?

A: Smells from a properly managed poultry operation should be noticed only a few times a year. A farm typically raises about five flocks per year. Neighbors may notice smells when chickens are removed from the house, and for a few days while the farmer prepares the houses for the next flock. Here’s how Tom Philpott, writing for Mother Jones, describes the smell inside a chicken house raising for Perdue: “Stepping into the 20,000-square-foot barn with its 40,000 chickens, I brace for an unbearable stench. Instead, I get a mild barnyard manure smell and a much stronger, toasty, sweet aroma of chicken feed—a mix of corn and soybeans that I remember from my own days tending a small outdoor flock. There is no stench, I realize, because the chicken house is well ventilated and clean …”

Strong smells from a poultry house come from moist litter, which emits ammonia. We require farmers to maintain their houses so that the litter stays dry, which minimizes smell inside – and outside – the poultry house. Litter amendments are also used to reduce ammonia.