A poultry house for 27,000 layers as the world has never seen one before was recently erected near Venlo in the Netherlands. The building barely looks like a poultry house and is an eye-catcher in both rural environments and urban regions.
The focus of the project is entirely on the laying hen. With this focus in mind, four entrepreneurs and the owners of the barn, Styn Claessens, Ruud Zanders, Maurits Groen and Olivier Wegloop, developed a concept that offers the hens much space for scratching and dust bathing. The concept includes a roofed open run that can be used in any weather and is equipped with all kinds of natural manipulable material, letting hens exhibit their natural behaviours. Additionally, the layers can range outside at both long sides of the house, which they like to do especially in good weather.
Aviary systems
There is even more to see in the Kipster house: the animal-friendly NATURA Step aviary from Big Dutchman is the ideal equipment for egg laying, eating, drinking and roosting. The aviary guarantees a regular daily rhythm and a low number of mislaid eggs and offers hens a secure, protected sleeping place for the night.
Another concern for the investors, in addition to animal welfare issues, was protecting the environment from dust and other negative influences. In cooperation with Versleijen BV, its sales representation in the Netherlands, German equipment supplier Big Dutchman was able to offer innovative solutions.
The exhaust air produced in the house is cleaned thoroughly before it leaves the building. Modern technology reduces fine dust emissions by more than 95 %.
A manure drying tunnel dries the accumulating manure up to a dry matter content of 80 %, allowing the production of pellets, which are a valuable fertilizer.
Solar panels on the roof supply the power the building needs, and a heat recovery unit increases the house’s energy efficiency. There is thus no need for fossil fuels.
The discounter Lidl Nederland markets the eggs at a fair price for both the producer and the consumer. Another focus was keeping distances between the house and the discounter short.
Visitors are invited to take a closer look at the unique project: a special visitor’s room allows a first-hand view of the birds’ daily life.
The Netherlands