Tonight the “spent” laying hens of Kipster in Beuningen were to be caught and loaded for transport. Kipster employees spent 5 hours installing wire fencing along the entire bottom of all of their aviaries to block the birds from going underneath the installation, so that upright catching could also be very efficient. Normally catchers have to go underneath the … [Read more...] about Kipster puts practical ideas into place, but not all birds caught upright
chicken transport
Upright chicken catching project on German and French TV
ZDF and Arte recently televised EonA’s project to reduce stress, pain and injuries by catching hens upright instead of upside down by one leg. It was aired on both German and French TV. The camera team joined us at Kipster poultry farm on the evening of the catch, where the hens had to be loaded for transport. We gave a short presentation to the catching team and … [Read more...] about Upright chicken catching project on German and French TV
EFSA recommends upright catching for birds
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has advised to carry and load birds upright, instead of inverted by their legs. This is one of the recommendations EFSA recently published in their latest report to the European Commission. They write “During loading, inversion and carrying birds by the legs increases the severity of handling stress and the risk of injuries … [Read more...] about EFSA recommends upright catching for birds
Visit of poultry Plukon slaughterhouse in Goor (NL)
Today we visited Plukon poultry slaughterhouse in Goor, where 175,000 broilers are slaughtered per day. The broilers stay in their transport containers from the moment of arrival until their death; they do not have to be taken out of the containers manually or mechanically (tilting) when still alive. In many slaughterhouses this still happens, causing a lot of fear and … [Read more...] about Visit of poultry Plukon slaughterhouse in Goor (NL)
Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kyling uses upright catching method
The Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kyling has been encouraging their poultry farmers (135 in total) and catching companies to catch their broilers using the upright method, instead of grabbing them by the legs. In barns where the containers can be placed close to the broilers with a forklift, the upright method is usually applied. In barns where the containers are … [Read more...] about Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kyling uses upright catching method
Upright catching of Kipster-hens in Beuningen (NL)
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)
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
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!
