Organic poultry production in Germany – key features, housing, feeding, breeds, perform-ance, health

Summary

Aim of the project was to find out key features of organic poultry production in Germany and to identify possible problems. Questionnaires of ca. 300 farms were evaluated and farm visits made on 100 farms. Hybrids were dominating on most farms. Most farms kept only small flocks. In bigger farms, aviaries were more common. Hens on most farms had access to pastures. In many cases, housing conditions or health prevention measures were not in accordance with current recommendations. Performance was low in many farms and indicators for feather pecking often found. Relationships between husbandry conditions and health or performance parameters were often found. Therefore, improvements seem to be possible on many farms.