Free-range chickens from Ambergau: Happy pasture chickens
Nina Klingemann and Ruven Mahnkopf love animals – and enjoy eating meat. What is a contradiction for some is a demanding task for the two avowed hunters. If meat is to be given, then the animal should have a species-appropriate and as stress-free life as possible until the end. “Out into the countryside” is the motto for their broiler chickens, which live in a mobile barn. We took a look at how the concept works in the small town of Schlewecke in southeastern Lower Saxony. – From Stephanie Prenzler
Mrs. Grete had a good chicken,
that knew how to do its duty.
It scratched behind, pecked in front,
found a worm here, a grain there…
(Wilhelm Busch)
Wilhelm Busch would be delighted if he could watch Nina and Ruven's pasture chickens. Not far from here, in the rectory in Mechtshausen, the humorous poet and illustrator spent his last years - and Schlewecke, a district of the town of Bockenem in the Harz foothills, with its pretty half-timbered and brick houses, looks as if the 19th century had only just ended. The modern mobile barn owned by Nina Klingemann and Ruven Mahnkopf, on the other hand, does not seem at all historic. Both have been rooted in agriculture since childhood and, with their mobile barn - initially as a part-time job - are committed to keeping broiler chickens in a natural and animal-friendly way. While this type of barn farming is already established for egg production, Nina and Ruven have filled a gap in the market in the region with their focus on meat production. Their chickens are Ranger Gold - a robust and slow-growing free-range breed. These animals are good feed converters and have a very pronounced chest, which weighs 700 to 800 g, and pronounced thighs that are able to bear the weight.
In addition, Ranger Gold chickens are very adaptable and can cope with enormous temperature fluctuations - the best conditions for growing up in the Harz foothills. The two dedicated young farmers had to overcome many bureaucratic hurdles and demanding paperwork before they founded the company in January 2022. "There was no interface that could inform us about several issues, such as legal regulations or funding, at the same time," says Nina Klingemann. "We got by quite well thanks to our previous professional knowledge. But for an inexperienced farmer, this is certainly not so easy." In May 2022, the time had come: the first chickens moved into the mobile barn - and in July they enriched the range of their own farm shop with their meat for the first time.
What a stupid chicken
While we consumers are becoming more hesitant to eat pork and beef from year to year, the consumption of chicken in Germany is steadily increasing. From 2014 to 2019, annual consumption rose by 3.8 kg and in 2019 it was 15.6 kg per capita. There is no end in sight to this development if you compare the figures with the average per capita consumption in the EU: in 2019, this was 20.8 kg*. The beloved poultry - whether as crispy grilled chicken or tipsy coq au vin from the Dutch oven - can be prepared in a variety of ways and is enjoyed by young and old. It also scores points with its low fat content, high-quality protein and important vitamins and minerals. But the majority of roosters and hens come from factory farming. In Germany, this means that the animals are kept on the ground on bedding, mainly in closed stables with forced ventilation and without access to the outdoors. In an average fattening barn, several thousand chickens live close together, with 14 to 26 animals sharing one square meter. The feed comes from a vending machine and the chickens often have no other means of entertainment. With this method of rearing, the animals are mainly kept for short periods and weigh around 1.5 kg after 28 to 30 days of life. That is hardly enough time to develop the typical tasty chicken flavor that we want and love to tease out when grilling.
It's different with Nina and Ruven's pasture chickens. The two chicken keepers value their free-range chickens as intelligent and social creatures that communicate with each other and are even able to build friendships. It is precisely these characteristics and the resulting natural behaviors that they want to do justice to with their mobile coop. It is located on a fenced-off green area, which is now in spring becoming lusher and more attractive to the chickens every day. In addition to the coop, there are other shelter options on the pasture. In summer, bushes and trees are important so that the animals can find shade and cover when they need it. The coop itself is littered with shavings and straw, and water and feed are always stored for three days. "We get the chickens when they are three weeks old," explains Nina, "and in the first few days we give them time to get to know each other and the coop. This gentle acclimatization period is essential. The feather status must first be sufficient to be able to open the coop at -10 °C, for example. Once the chickens have settled in, the coop opens automatically at 8 a.m. and clears the way to the greenery. Two goats also stay in this enclosure as 'bodyguards'; they have a deterrent effect on wild birds and predators. So far, no hawk, fox or marten has dared to approach the chickens," says Nina, explaining her attempt to protect the chickens from natural predators, which has been successful so far. In the evening, most of them go back to the coop on their own, but Nina and Ruven stop by every evening to chase any stragglers into the coop for the night.
The two chicken keepers value their free-range chickens as intelligent and social creatures that communicate with each other and are even able to build friendships.
The pasture chickens stay in the mobile barn for up to two months and are allowed to scratch, peck, sandbathe, preen their feathers and move around freely to their heart's content - in other words, to follow their natural behavior patterns. The mobile home is regularly moved to ensure that there is always a fresh area to run around in. A mineral mixture with wheat is used as feed, and in the future the two part-time farmers want to grow the feed wheat themselves. Fruit and hay, horse lick stones and stomach pebbles, which are good for digestion, provide even more variety in the chickens' lives. As soon as the chickens have reached an average live weight of 3.5 kg, it is time for slaughter. "When it was so hot in the summer, our chickens ate significantly less and therefore needed a longer time to reach their slaughter weight. In winter, on the other hand, they sometimes eat out of boredom," says Nina. The concept seems well thought out - but what actually happens if bird flu breaks out in the region? "Fortunately, we have been spared from bird flu in recent months, which is why we have not been directly affected by the compulsory housing requirement so far," says Nina. "However, if it breaks out here, there will be a compulsory housing requirement. The animals are then not allowed to have any direct contact with the outside world or with wild birds and can only stay in the barn. In order to ensure more space for the animals in this case, there is the option of building a kind of awning onto the mobile barn. Unlike in the case of laying hens, which have a longer lifespan, the number of broiler chickens could be adjusted at short notice in the case of bird flu. For example, if bird flu breaks out and there is a compulsory housing requirement, I will only house 100 animals after the last round of slaughter, instead of the current 220 animals, in order to have more space in the barn."
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Direct marketing as a way to achieve your goals
When the final moment arrives, Nina and Ruven have helpers who pack the chickens into transport crates. To avoid stress, this always happens in the dark, when the chickens are still inactive. While a mobile butcher initially came to the farm, the animals are now slaughtered in a nearby Demeter-certified slaughterhouse. Nina and Ruven now have all the certificates, documentation and the necessary premises to cut up and pack the carcasses themselves.
It is obvious that a pasture-raised chicken requires significantly more work and costs than its counterparts from conventional factory farming. However, this type of farming scores points when it comes to animal welfare, environmental protection and meat quality. It is good that more and more consumers are prepared to pay for this effort. This acceptance is most likely to occur when production is transparent and understandable to the consumer. This is why such forms of farming are often linked to direct marketing. This is also the case with the company "Das Weideglück" in Bockenem-Schlewecke presented here. The chickens are sold in the farm's own shop and in friendly farms, whose ranges are supplemented by the chicken meat. Pre-ordering is possible and desired, as this way this type of marketing can be made sustainable. Another important aspect for all of our futures.
Further information is available online at www.dasweideglueck.com
*Source: Statista
