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Welcome to the Chicken Farmers of Ontario Family Food Program

Chicken Farmers of Ontario has transitioned the former familyfoodgrower.ca website to our comprehensive ontariochicken.ca - bringing all farmer segments under the same online domain! 

Family Food Growers, Broker Dealers, Hatcheries, and Custom Processors can still access the same forms and information by logging in. To log in, please click the Login button in the top right of the page. 

Should you have any questions, please contact [email protected].


The Family Food Program is an important aspect of Chicken Farmer’s of Ontario’s (CFO) emergency management plan as it allows for rapid location and identification of small flocks (up to 300 birds) to help manage and contain disease incidents. 

Since 2010, CFO requires all Family Food Growers (non-commercial and formerly small flock growers) to register their flocks and follow biosecurity protocols to promote bird health and disease management, while enhancing education and communication opportunities.  Over 16,000 registered Family Food Growers purchase chicks in Ontario. The numbers of registered flocks have increased by 20% over the past 5 years. The average family food flock size was approximately 70 birds.

CFO continues to focus on its digital communication strategy by moving its industry communication and reporting onto digital platforms including the province’s Family Food Program stakeholders (hatcheries/broker dealers, growers and processors).  It is important to include your email with your program registration to allow us to communicate with you effectively and efficiently in the event of a disease outbreak.

This site is designed to be easy to learn and easy to use.  A series of “how-to” videos and documents are available for you and your staff after logging in. In addition, staff are available to ensure that all users understand how to log in and navigate the site. 

Key Information for Reporting Family Food & Artisanal Chick Purchases 

Family Food Program (Annually 300 meat birds, 100 active layers-total) 

  • A Form 300 must be provided for all chick purchases including layers.  Do not report fowl including ducks, geese, turkeys, or game birds like pheasants. 
  • Collect grower’s email address to allow for the Form 300 to be emailed. In addition, the growers’ emails are an important component of the chicken industry’s disease risk mitigation plan. In a highly infectious disease outbreak, The Feather Board Command Centre (FBCC) will identify and contact by email, all registered small flock growers within the biosecurity advisory area. Without accurate email addresses, your customers may not be provided the important information necessary to protect their flocks. 
  • Growing addresses will only be accepted if the address can be mapped by Google to generate the latitude and longitudes coordinates. The site permits two addresses to allow you to record the “local” mailing address in addition to the mappable growing address. 
  • You may now search for Pending or Submitted Form 300’s on the date the birds were received rather than the date the form was generated.  
  • To comply with a new CFIA requirements at processing plants a Transfer of Care section has been added to the bottom of the Form 300. This is to be completed by the Family Food Grower at time of processing.  
  • How to Videos are available. Please click on "Support" from the Family Food drop-down menu to review both the video and a step-by-step guide. 

Artisanal Chicken Program (Annually 600-3,000 chickens)

  • Sales to Artisanal farmers must be registered with the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission (OBHECC) at www.obhecc.ca/Public/Brokers
  • Contact OBHECC at 1-519-837-0005 to gain access to the online reporting system for Artisanal purchases.  A list of licenced Artisanal Farmers is available on the OBHECC website. 
  • Hatcheries require all Artisanal orders be identified to the hatchery, with their four-digit Artisanal licence number, in advance of the chick delivery.  The hatchery will then provide additional documentation to the farmer for their On-Farm Food Safety Program (OFFSP) requirements. 
  • Artisanal farmers generate their own production reporting form - Form 3000. Broker dealers and hatcheries are NOT required to complete any portion of this form. 
  • Artisanal farmers are entitled to grow up to 60 chickens for self-consumption. Chickens for personal consumption are reported, in addition to their Artisanal birds, on the OBHECC site. 

As per CFO’s General Regulation, every custom processor must register an accurate Form 68B for both Family Food Growers and Artisanal Chicken Farmers.  If you have questions, please contact us for assistance at [email protected] or 905-637-0025. 

For more regulatory information, please review CFO's General Regulation.