Chinese poultry farmers receive training in transition to cage-free housing systems for laying hens
Demand for eggs from cage-free laying hens is growing worldwide. Even in China, the country with the highest egg production in the world, large retailers and multinationals want to switch to a more animal-friendly product. Professor Bas Rodenburg of Utrecht University and Kate Hartcher , scientific director at Global Food Partners in Singapore, together launched a project to train poultry farmers in China to become the new generation with cage-free housing systems for hens.
In a cage-free system, a group of sometimes as many as six thousand chickens is kept in a spacious chicken house. Unlike chickens in cages, which live in small groups (four to nine chickens) and have an average area of one A4 per chicken. The area per bird is twice as large in a cage-free housing system, and the chickens can exhibit more natural behavior by being able to move throughout the house. "This manifests itself in a kind of daily routine," says Bas Rodenburg, professor of animal welfare at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Utrecht University). "The chickens get off the perch in the morning to drink some water, lay an egg in the nest and go looking for food in the afternoon. You see a lot of difference in behavior, some chickens scurry around all day, while others seek out perches more often."
From battery cage to cage-free system
"Interest in animal welfare is increasing in China," says Kate Hartcher, scientific director at Global Food Partners. "This is beneficial for the transition to cage-free systems." Five years ago, more and more multinationals announced their intention to switch to eggs from cage-free systems. But for that to happen, much remains to be done in the country responsible for 40% of global egg production. As much as 90% of eggs in China come from hens in cages. Many companies have said they want to switch to eggs from cage-free systems by 2025. "At Global Food Partners, we work with the companies that have made promises to switch to cage-free as well as with the poultry farmers," Hartcher explains. "For the latter, working with Bas comes in handy."
Interest in animal welfare increases in China
Rodenburg already had experience transitioning to cage-free systems in Europe and knows that the transition can be challenging for a poultry farmer. "Cages provide control and an easy overview," he says. "With a cage-free system, you really have to watch how a group of hens is behaving. Are there signs of feather pecking? Are there injured or sick birds with infection?" It is also important for large poultry farms to have enough workers to keep an eye on the chickens. "For example, a Dutch chicken farmer and his family can keep a close eye on thirty thousand chickens divided into five groups," Rodenburg illustrates. "When scaling up, the number of workers must match the size of the farm." Monitoring the chickens only goes well if employees receive proper training and advice from the beginning. "Recent studies show that a chicken farmer’s knowledge and experience play a key role in reducing mortality and improving animal production."
Model farm
Global Food Partners helps poultry farmers transition to cage-free housing systems. They do this through customized training and group training at model farms. On the grounds of Shanxi University, a chicken house with a cage system was converted to a cage-free system with a few thousand chickens. "It’s not a complicated, high-tech system," Rodenburg says. "It’s meant to give farmers an idea of how a cage-free system works. How do you inspect the nests? How do you check the animals and their behavior?"
But the real strength of the model farm is that European knowledge about cage-free systems comes together with local Chinese knowledge. "Bas and his colleague visited China to train the trainers who will teach at the university," Hartcher says. "These people are indispensable; they will be the new leaders in animal welfare and the cage-free transition in the region." The hope is that by working with the university and farmers, the knowledge and skills will spread like an oil slick.
The advantage for the poultry farmer is that they are really working with animals again
Happy chicken, happy farmer
But poultry farmers who apply the training on their own farms will also be important in the transition. "If I were a Chinese poultry farmer, I would not be convinced by a Dutch professor saying that a cage-free system is a good idea." According to Rodenburg, there is no better calling card than a happy Chinese cage-free poultry farmer. "If they implement the system successfully, even as a farmer it is much more pleasant to work with a cage-free system than with chickens in cages." Rodenburg often receives positive feedback from farmers who made the switch. "They are really working with the animals again. That makes them feel good."
