Practical guide to animal welfare and marketing in mobile laying hen farming published

Practical guide to animal welfare and marketing in mobile laying hen husbandry published

05.11.2024

In a three-year research project, scientists from the University of Kassel (Department of Livestock Ethology and Animal Husbandry), together with project partners from the University of Göttingen (Marketing for Food and Agricultural Products) and the State Farm of Hesse (LLH), have investigated the question of whether keeping laying hens in mobile barns represents an opportunity or a risk for animal welfare, market acceptance and public acceptance. The findings from the project have been incorporated into a "Practical guide for animal welfare and marketing in mobile laying hen husbandry", which is now freely available.

Practical experience and data from 42 laying hen farms (22 x conventional and 20 x organic) with different types of mobile houses of various sizes (160 to 2,000 hens) were taken into account. Over a period of two years, animal welfare indicators were recorded every six months and data on husbandry and management was collected in order to identify potential risks to animal welfare and possible prevention strategies.

In several quantitative and qualitative surveys, consumers were asked about their perception of egg production in mobile housing systems and their willingness to pay for mobile barn eggs. In addition, a purchasing decision experiment was carried out as part of the project, in which the test subjects were asked to choose between different product alternatives.

The opportunities of mobile housing to offer hens in smaller groups more attractive green runs were primarily reflected in better plumage condition on average compared to results from stationary housing. Plumage damage can be caused by feather pecking if the housing conditions are inadequately adapted to the hens' needs. At the same time, it became clear that, for example, moving the mobile houses or managing the house climate in unfavorable weather conditions places particular demands on the management skills of the livestock farmers . In implementation of these findings, the practical guide was developed as a reference work and manual to support the following steps: 1. recognize possible animal welfare problems in the mobile barn, 2. identify causes of animal welfare problems and 3. take concrete animal welfare measures.

With regard to citizens and consumers, it once again became clear that there is often little knowledge about the different ways of keeping laying hens. According to the relevant information, mobile laying hen husbandry is perceived as predominantly positive. Building on this, the practical guide provides recommendations for the successful marketing of mobile barn eggs, including advice on pricing, market strategies and possible approaches to sales problems.

With practical suggestions for optimization needs determined on an individual farm basis, the guide is intended to help ensure a high level of animal welfare and successful marketing in mobile laying hen farming. In this way, the opportunities offered by mobile housing can be optimally exploited and the potential risks avoided as far as possible.

The "Practical guide for animal welfare and marketing in mobile laying hen husbandry" can be viewed as a print version at the exhibition stands of the Universities of Kassel and Göttingen at EuroTier from November 12-15, 2024 in Hanover and is also available free of charge as a web version at https://goto.uni-kassel.de/go/Leitfaden-Mobiwohl.

The project "Laying hens in mobile barns: Opportunity or risk for animal welfare, market and public acceptance?" ("MobiWohl") and the resulting practical guide were funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag as part of the Federal Livestock Farming Program.

Contact persons:
Dr. Daniel Gieseke, Prof. Dr. Ute Knierim

Department of Livestock Ethology and Animal Husbandry,

Department of Organic Agricultural Sciences

University of Kassel

Nordbahnhofstr. 1a

37213 Witzenhausen

E-mail: daniel.gieseke[at]uni-kassel[dot]de,uknierim[at]uni-kassel[dot]de