Mobile housing for laying hens can contribute to improving animal welfare and the quality of the eggs while reducing impact on the environment. However, their uptake remains limited as they also present a number of risks, such as vulnerability to predators. A German Operational Group based in Rhineland-Palatinate designed, tested and disseminated an efficient management system for mobile coops, in order to increase their application in the region and beyond.

The subject of animal welfare and species-appropriate animal husbandry has become increasingly important. In the area of ​​poultry farming and the production of eggs, there is also a high consumer demand for regionally produced products. In 2017 in Rhineland-Palatinate at the start of the project, around 30% of the 24,000 organic laying hens in the region were already in mobile housing. This was on around half of the 40 organic farms. Farmers found that using animal-friendly mobile housing was very adapted to organic animal husbandry in many respects. David Pfeifer, project manager, explains the advantages “The flexibility of being able to change the location of the coop easily, the possibility of including the grazing areas in the crop rotation, reduced nutrient input, the chickens can always graze so they are occupied and they have freedom of movement. If managed well, germ and parasite pressure are also reduced.”