Blackwing (Blackwing Organic Meats)

Rating
Farm/Brand HeadquartersAntioch, IL
ProductsChicken, turkey, ostrich
Websitewww.blackwing.com/about_us.php
Market AreaNationwide
Total Score735
CriteriaPointsComment
TOTAL (possible score is 1800) 735
3-Bird Rating | Very Good
Family Farms and cooperatives receive the most points. Corporations and companies with poor or negligible farm oversight receive the fewest points.
Ownership structure
75Corporate/investor owned—deep roots/ties with farmers with limited contact with suppliers.
100% organic brands receive the most points. Split operations receive fewer with increased penalties for poor segregation at the processor and farm level.
Dedication to Organic Production
70Brand markets both organic and conventional poultry products with good segregation (different facilities, including processing facilities)
Farms that participated in Cornucopia’s research providing full transparency receive the most points.
Transparency and Disclosure
50Moderate level of disclosure
Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier.
Organic Certifier
75California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
To receive full points, flocks must number 500 birds or fewer (200 for turkeys).
Flock size
40Over 4001 birds per flock with moderate dedication to high welfare
No more than 1.5 lbs of bird per square foot is required for full points.
Stocking Density
40Space provided per birdsmaller than ideal, at 10-12 inches each, exceeding 4.5lbs per square foot near end of grow-out period.
Mobile housing receives the highest number of points.
Housing Style
30Static (fixed) housing
Heritage varieties receive the highest number of points.
Strain and/or Breed and Slaughter Age
40Fast-growing breed, with chickens processed at 6 weeks
Birds must spend 3/4ths or more of their lives outdoors for full points.
Timing for Outdoor Access
0Did not answer
Enrichments include but are not limited to shade structures, water, novel feedstuff (greens, mealworms, sprouted grains), and dust baths.
Enrichments (outdoor and indoor)
60Indoor and outdoor enrichments provided, including novel feedstuff, shade structures, etc.
Points awarded for labels that go above and beyond organic.
Other Labels/Standards
60Certified Humane
Maximum points given for high quality, rotated pasture. Non-rotated pasture adjacent to fixed housing with lower than 90% vegetative cover receives fewer points.
Outdoor Management
50Birds moved 2x a month
100 points for on-farm production and/or milling of feed. Fewest points given to feed that cannot be verified as domestic and/or birds get poor or no supplementation from outdoor foraging.
Feed Sourcing
75Brand dictates what producers must feed; 100% of turkey feed is produced on-farm
Methionine needs met by outdoor foraging receives 100 points. Synthetic supplementation receives 70 points.
Synthetic Methionine
0Did not answer
Under 5% cull and death rate required for full points.
Cull/death Rate
0Did not answer
Chicks and poults that are certified organic since hatching, or are hatched on-farm receive 100 points. Off-farm or conventional chicks and poults receive 70 points.
Chick and Poult Sourcing
0Did not answer
No physical alterations required for full points. Permitting beak tipping results in fewer points.
Physical Alterations
0Did not answer
Measures farm oversight. Farmer owned brands, or daily visits by management required for maximum points.
Farm Support
70Representatives visit a minimum of once a year
Non-scoring, category provided for information only.
Slaughter Method (non-scoring)
0No answer
Non-scoring, category provided for information only.
Soy Free Ration? (non-scoring)
No
Maximum transparency, sharing of the organic systems plan, and/or novel practices that sets the brand apart from the rest of the industry can result in extra credit points.
Extra Credit
0None