What is “Free Range”?
The term “Free-range” means chickens have access to paddocks outside during the day (weather permitting) and are free to roam, scratch and peck. Free Range chickens are herded into their sheds at night to prevent attack by natural predators such as foxes.
Are La Ionica Chickens “Free Range”?
No, La Ionica chickens are not Free Range. They are reared in the same way as all other Aussie chickens. They are free to roam around in substantial poultry houses with no
restrictions for accessing water and feed. All sheds are well ventilated and temperature controlled. Shedding also protects chickens from the elements, as well as possible contamination from outside items, including harmful diseases which may be carried by flying birds.
Are La Ionica chickens kept in cages?
No, La Ionica chickens are not kept in cages. Only some egg laying hens are kept in cages. La Ionica do not produce any egg laying hens.
What does “free roaming” mean?
Free roaming means just that. Chickens are not in cages and are free to roam in large sheds.
What are chickens fed?
Our chickens are fed balanced diets consisting of natural grains, protein
meals, vitamins and minerals, designed to promote well grown healthy birds.
Do the chickens contain hormones or steroids?
The chickens contain only those hormones which their bodies naturally produce. Hormones and steroids are banned in Australia, and have been since the 1960’s. All Aussie chicken is free of any hormonal additive.
Why do many people wrongly believe that chickens are fed hormones?
We believe that one reason might be that people note that the chickens sold these days in supermarkets, butcher shops and chicken shops are much bigger than what they may recall them to have been 20 or 30 years ago. They may wrongly conclude that this must be the result of some unnatural intervention. The actual reason for this increased growth rate and size is the ongoing extensive selective breeding programs that have been adopted by the industry over the past 50 years, which aim for not only faster growing birds but also for healthier and more disease resistant chickens.
Are chickens given antibiotics?
There is no routine and unnecessary use of antibiotics or any other medication. Chickens are only medicated if there is a risk of disease which threatens the flock. This is rarely the case at La Ionica as our farmers take extreme care to prevent any risk of infection through careful management and the strictest hygiene procedures.
All chicken products supplied to our customers are 100 percent free of any antibiotics.
Are chickens genetically modified?
Chickens are not genetically engineered or modified. Improvements in their growth, feed conversion efficiency, tenderness and other characteristics are entirely due to traditional cross-breeding and selective breeding techniques.
What is Halal?
Halal refers to food that is prepared in a way that makes it fit for consumption by Muslims.
Where can I purchase Halal chicken meat?
Specialty butchers, particularly in areas where there is a significant Muslim population, sell Halal certified chicken meat.
What is required for chicken meat to be Halal?
The chicken must be processed in a manner that is consistent with the rules of the Muslim faith, which requires that:
1. a prayer is spoken at the beginning of the day;
2. the person supervising the slaughtering process must be of Muslim faith; and
3. the facility has to be accredited by the local Muslim cleric.
What is the difference between free range chickens, organic chickens and conventionally farmed commercial meat chickens?
As the name indicates, free range chickens are allowed access to an outside run in which they can freely range outside their sheds during the day. Organic chickens are fed on diets prepared from ingredients that are not treated with insecticides or pesticides. In addition, space allowances are higher, and only chickens that have not been given antibiotics at any stage during their life should be sold under the free range or the organic labels. For more information, you may wish to consult the website of the specific industry organisations, for example Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia Ltd (FREPA) and the
Organic Federation of Australia.
If a chicken, like any other animal, has a disease, can the consumed meat affect humans?
Most diseases of chickens will not affect people. Some organisms which can cause illness in people may be carried by chickens (e.g. Salmonella species) but these are not dangerous if the meat is handled and cooked properly.
How do you know chicken is properly cooked?
Chicken should always be thoroughly cooked. While cooking to a temperature of 72 degrees should be sufficient, we recommend that, to be sure, you should cook chicken to about 82 degrees at its core. The amount of time you need to cook chicken of course depends upon the type of cut and how big it is, although a good rule of thumb is you cook it for about an hour per kilo. A simple way to get a good indication of whether it has been cooked enough is to stick a fork into the thickest part of the meat – the juice that comes out should be clear; furthermore there should be no pink coloured meat left right through the thickest part.
Why is it important to cook chicken?
All raw meat and many other foods contain bacteria and most are harmless. However, some of these bacteria, when ingested in sufficient quantities, can produce food poisoning. The good news is that all these organisms are very easily killed by normal cooking temperatures. Therefore, if you cook chicken properly and follow basic hygienic food handling practices in the kitchen then the risk is removed.