Can Lucky Freed Chicken…be Cash Cows?

23high-level specialists from South and North America and Europe attended the H&N Cage-Free Academy in Cuxhaven from 27th to 31st March 2023.
Having so much know-how in one spot made this academy a very rich, pleasant experience.

Hitting the Freeway—success is a way

Cage-free is not so much a question of in or out; it’s a process involving multiple stakeholders on all levels from farm to federal!
Some countries are entirely cage-free today like Switzerland; others pursue a two-pronged or multi-pronged strategy to reach it, while others are starting to consider it.

The big “change” is really many changes

Cage-free means a big change in production management and nutrition. However, the main change is in the company’s culture.
Cage-free farmers can’t apply the same mentality as in cage production, so there must be a core change in the farm’s organization when cage-free egg production is supposed to happen.
Little details become more important and the coordination of the different people in egg production becomes the key to success.
Rearing is yet more crucial: body weight, feed intake development, feeding patterns… all such parameters will the determine success or failure.

Trying out new roles and responsibilities

The farmer’s job also changes: this new form of production requires more time spent with the birds, which will show new kinds of behavior. The farmers need to be there to see these, understand them and change whatever is needed so the birds can show their full genetic potential. New ways of production require changes and a period of adaptation.
Many topics were discussed affecting the changes needed to get successful cage-free production. All the mornings were packed with reviewing topics related to genetic selection, management, health and nutrition, and the changes that producers need to make compared to in-cage production.

Working with scenarios

In the afternoons, the participants went on Dynamic Learning Workshops to exchange and boost know-how and local experience among experts from various corners of the world. Trouble-shooting exercises for management followed. Then the participants took on the role of detective nutritionists, solving performance issues related to cage-free nutrition.
For free time, our “obligatory” bowling session on Tuesday and a karaoke night on Wednesday spiced up the event with leisure and fun, before we wrapped it up with the certificate ceremony.