Tonight we were at a Kipster laying-hen farm in Beuningen (NL) - where 22,000 "spent" hens were being caught for transport to slaughter. A television-crew from a well-known German channel were there as were some of our German colleagues. At Kipster, all hens are caught using the EonA upright method (max. 2 hens at a time and always held upright and … [Read more...] about Upright catching of Kipster-hens in Beuningen (NL)
chicken-catching
Upright chicken catching at another Demeter laying-hen farm
Last night a team from Eyes on Animals was at Sijbenga egg farm in Hooghalen (NL). The Demeter farmer-couple asked us to give a refresher course on the upright-method of catching to the catchers and then to assist with catching and to help supervise. It was great to hear them tell us that since they made the switch a few years ago to upright catching they are very happy … [Read more...] about Upright chicken catching at another Demeter laying-hen farm
Demeter farm Het Willink enthousiastic about the upright catching method
Demeter farm Het Willink (biodynamic) caught all their hens using the upright method for the first time this year. The owner let us know he was pleasantly surprised. He said: "It was very quiet in the poultry shed. So, I went to check if the catchers had already started working. When i looked, half of the chickens were already in the crates. The difference in the noise … [Read more...] about Demeter farm Het Willink enthousiastic about the upright catching method
Hens from “Eike” sadly continued to be caught upside down by the legs
Early 2021 Smits - source of energy, the producer of Eike eggs which are sold at Sligro, had informed us that they would like to have their spent laying hens caught upright. This involved a total of 40,000 chickens. These hens were to be caught and loaded mid-2022, supervised by a team from Eyes on Animals. Unfortunately, Eike informed us that they … [Read more...] about Hens from “Eike” sadly continued to be caught upside down by the legs
Visit to poultry farmer to speak about upright catching of his birds
Today Eyes on Animals visited a poultry farmer in Groningen to talk about catching methods for chickens. He wanted to know more about the upright catching method and what exactly this would mean to him in practice. Because of the prevailing bird flu, we were not able to enter the poultry shed, however we were able to look in through the windows. The sheds and chickens … [Read more...] about Visit to poultry farmer to speak about upright catching of his birds
UK MP tables amendment to new UK Animal Welfare Bill to also protect hens during catching!
Henry Smith, MP of the Conservative Party in the UK (the party in power), is asking to phase out the current rough method of catching poultry (by their legs and holding them upside down, 4 to 5 per hand). He wants poultry to be caught gently and upright, loaded upright and given more headspace in the transport containers. … [Read more...] about UK MP tables amendment to new UK Animal Welfare Bill to also protect hens during catching!
New film by Eyes on Animals showing how spent hens are caught in Europe
Eyes on Animals has been documenting how spent laying hens are caught and loaded in Europe. This is just some of the footage and it is not even the worst. Spent hens raised on large farms are caught like this around the world and sadly even European officials and Member States have been tolerating it, despite it clearly being in violation of EU legislation. EU … [Read more...] about New film by Eyes on Animals showing how spent hens are caught in Europe
More than 60 Canadian chicken/egg-industry stakeholders attend the EonA and WAP webinar on the gentle upright method of catching
Together with World Animal Protection in Toronto, Canada, we hosted a successful Chicken Catching Webinar. 62 stakeholders from the Canadian poultry industry attended, from major slaughterhouses to major egg companies and even national supermarkets and Canadian government inspectors ! Eyes on Animals gave a talk about the new gentle method of chicken catching which we … [Read more...] about More than 60 Canadian chicken/egg-industry stakeholders attend the EonA and WAP webinar on the gentle upright method of catching
Chickens Rondeel Wintelre partially not caught upright
Tonight, a team from EonA performed a random check at Rondeel in Wintelre during the catching of their spent hens. In the previous week, we tried to contact the director of Rondeel several times but were unsuccessful. Finally, we left him a voicemail message announcing our plan to visit. That we would not participate in the catching, as we had done the previous 3 years, … [Read more...] about Chickens Rondeel Wintelre partially not caught upright
Compliments to Manor Farm “de Vlinderstrik” for the upright catching of laying hens
At Manor Farm de Vlinderstrik, laying hens were caught upright instead of upside down by their legs. Poultry farmer Albert Boersen shared this today on Twitter. He also wrote about bringing them to the slaughterhouse himself and asking them to “treat the chickens with the same care as he had done”. We are delighted that an increasing number of poultry … [Read more...] about Compliments to Manor Farm “de Vlinderstrik” for the upright catching of laying hens
