Our Animal Care Program

places prevention foremost

If our animals become sick, we know it is right to provide treatment to help them become well again.

Our team of veterinarians lead the decision-making process.

Dr. Bethany Heitkamp, Dr. Don Davidson, Dr. Tim Barman

Cooper Farms is committed to ensuring each animal has the best care.
Communication and training with team members and contract growers is essential to maintain the best care for our animals. Our animal care program is led by staff veterinarians who are supported by a team of health service specialists. Health service specialists are constantly in contact with our veterinarians and growers, both in person and over the phone.

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HOW WE CARE FOR OUR ANIMALS

3 Company Veterinarians

388 Contract Family Farmers

23 Health Service Specialists

Internal Auditors & 3rd Party Audits

All animals are housed indoors, with the utmost attention given to ample space, proper ventilation and air quality, comfortable temperatures, health, as well as sanitation.

No matter the type of barn layout, Cooper Farms is committed to providing a healthy space for our animals to grow.
A variety of marketing programs exist to give consumers options when shopping in the grocery store. For example, Cooper Farms raises turkeys that meet requirements to participate in the No Antibiotics Ever marketing program.
Chicken layers participate in a variety of egg marketing programs, which determine the type of housing. We believe all of these housing options provide optimal conditions for healthy chickens.

80% of our sow farms have open pen gestation

All farms in the United States will transition to 100% open pen gestation by 2025. We are on track to complete the transition by 2022.

20% of our turkeys participate in the no antibiotics ever marketing program

All turkeys are raised in barns, without cages. This is typical for the turkey industry.

50% GOAL

By 2021, we aim to increase to 40% cage-free style barns. 50% by 2023.

75% NOW

Currently, 75% of our chickens are in conventional style barns. 25% are cage-free style.

Biosecurity

We believe biosecurity is an essential step in maintaining the health of our animals. Biosecurity is a multifaceted program which includes indoor housing, sanitation, strict procedures for entering barns and external animal control. All of our animals are housed indoors. Through the use of temperature controlled barns we can protect our animals from weather, external animals, predators and diseases as well as keep a close watch on their health, and food and water consumption. All of these factors help us to provide the best care and protect our animals from illness. At our breeding farms, our team members take full showers and change their clothing in order or enter or exit the farms; this prevents all external bacteria carried by the humans from entering the barns, thereby keeping the parent stock healthy. At our growout farms, boots and coveralls are worn at all times and disinfectant foot baths and hand wash are utilized. Cleaning the barns themselves is also a top priority and is completed regularly, based upon the animals and their age. All farms use a variety of rodent control methods and work to prevent the presence of wild birds. Each of these animals are known to carry diseases which could negatively affect the animals, so prevention is key.

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Our Animal Care Program

places prevention foremost

If our animals become sick, we know it is right to provide treatment to help them become well again.