Towards a happy hen life, proud farmers and a satisfied society
In 2004 the project Keeping and Loving Hens (in Dutch: Houden van Hennen) delivered two designs for a socially desirable husbandry systems to keep hens for the production of eggs: The Plantation (De Plantage) and The Roundel (Het Rondeel). No blue prints, but inspirational examples. The designs combine the needs of animal, farmer and citizen/consumer and break with popular beliefs, such as the idea that more space per chicken will cost a lot of money by definition.
Both designs fulfil the brief of requirements and provide space for around 30.000 laying hens. In both designs hens have contact with outdoors (sunlight, wind), but in one case the hens live under a roof, while in the other they can actually go outside. The designs show that a poultry farm of reasonable size can be compatible with the demands of the hen, the farmer and the public. The egg does not have to cost that much more: the cost price of eggs produced in these designs shall be around 20 % more than of eggs produced in barn systems or enriched battery cages.
Watch this video on The Plantation and The Roundel!
Inspiration for others
The concepts have been accepted, adapted and further improved with practical knowledge and the experience of farmers and system builders. The Plantation-concept has been realised by Chris and Marianne Borren in Voorthuizen (the Netherlands) on their Lankerenhof farm. The Rondeel BV consortium is working on the further development
of the Roundel-concept.
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