A poultry farm is a farming operation in the animal industry that centralizes on the raising of domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys to produce eggs and/or meat to sell as a food product. Farmers who run poultry farms work hard to handle all the different activities that are associated with raising birds. This ranges from handling the animals and keeping them safe and healthy, to cleaning and maintaining outbuildings and farm structures to ensuring that all the farm’s machinery and equipment are kept in working order.
Many farmers may earn all or a fair amount of their income from raising domesticated birds. It’s no surprise that many operations depend on the well-being of these animals and the various parts of their farm utilized to ensure the birds are secure and healthy. To support poultry farmers, poultry farm insurance is designed to cover operations that depend on their avian assets. Some insurance products can be confusing, so it helps to familiarize oneself with what is covered and what isn’t.
Poultry farm insurance is designed to protect poultry or chicken farming operations from financial losses incurred due to damages to their poultry farm buildings and equipment, assets and tools, or the death, injury, or illness of their poultry animals. Poultry farm insurance may look different than other livestock insurance policies as poultry typically only serve one or two purposes: to be reared for meat products or as layers to produce eggs. Your poultry is just as important to your farm as any other animal, and you may very well depend on these animals as your main source of revenue. With poultry or chicken farm insurance, you may have the following types of coverage:
Your poultry may very well be the main asset on your poultry farm and the main source of profit. Unfortunately, poultry farms can face a wide range of risks to their animals, including attacks from dogs or wild animals, diseases, fire and explosions, lightning, storms, damage or death during transit, drowning, building collapse, smoke, theft (with some exceptions), and flooding.
Your poultry coverage may include options to protect your animals and any relevant operations, including:
There are several products that may also be purchased as part of your chicken farm insurance package that may be applicable to the risks your operations can face, including:
Your poultry farm may depend on a number of buildings and structures in order to maintain its operations, including coops, sheds, barns, silos, houses, and so on. Your poultry farm insurance package may include coverage for your farm’s buildings and contents from broad threats such as collapse, storm damage, falling objects, impact by vehicle, theft, and vandalism.
If you and your family live on your farm, your residence also needs protection. What would you do if something happened to your primary dwelling? Your poultry farm insurance package may also include coverage for your farm dwelling buildings.
Your poultry farm insurance package may also include coverage for contents that are imperative to your operations, such as feed and seed, medicines, fences, fodder, and silage.
Because your poultry farm is a business, it needs liability insurance. Liability insurance may cover your farming operations if a visitor or guest is injured on your property, or if your poultry farm’s operations were the cause of damages to a third party’s property. Liability coverage may include protection for injuries to third parties or damages to property, in addition to legal defense costs, medical payments, and liability from damages to farm outbuildings and rented properties.
Other available coverage options for your poultry farming operations may include:
Depending on your poultry farm’s operations, rearing domestic birds may only be a small component of what you do. If that’s the case, you may need to assess the benefits of other coverage options to include all aspects of your farm. After all, this is your livelihood! You wouldn’t want to be forced to start from the ground up if anything unexpected happened. Hitchings Insurance Agency is here to help you assess your coverage needs and fit you with an insurance package that best meets your requirements.
Like any insurance policy, poultry farm insurance may contain some exclusions.
Exclusions will vary by provider and policy, but note that the following are commonly left out of the average chicken farm insurance package –
Again, it’s imperative to note that exclusions will be different depending on your policy and provider and may be dependent on the coverage options you choose to purchase. If you feel your coverage may be lacking in any area, notify a representative from Hitchings Insurance Agency so that they can review your protection with you and address any gaps.