Chickens Switzerland

Chickens are the most exploited animals. Worldwide, it is estimated that over 200 million chickens are slaughtered every day, or 70 billion per year. They almost always have a short life full of suffering behind them, as the needs of chickens are hardly ever taken into account. Husbandry, transport and slaughter are geared solely towards maximising profit. The individual animal falls by the wayside.

In Switzerland alone, over 70 million chickens are killed for human consumption every year.

NetAP is committed to ensuring that chickens and their needs receive more attention. The suffering of these high-performance animals takes place almost exclusively behind closed barn doors. We want to make it visible and encourage consumers to think about whether the desire for a ‘bit’ of meat or an egg is worth all this misery.

Forms of husbandry

Floor rearing: The Swiss Animal Welfare Act does not guarantee floor-reared hens much space. Depending on the housing system, 7 to 17 hens may be kept per square metre, which corresponds to 1-2 A4 pages (specifically 588 to 1428 cm2; A4 page = 630 cm2). Only around 20 per cent of the floor must be littered. An outdoor run is not required by law.

Free-range systems: Free-range systems differ significantly from barn systems. For example, the laying hens have daily access to pasture. Each animal must be guaranteed 2.5 square metres of pasture. Perches, laying nests and an outdoor climate area are available. With this form of husbandry, the basic needs of the hens can be better met than with floor rearing.

Organic farming: In many areas, organic farming is more strictly regulated than free-range farming. The hens have considerably more space available, both in the barn and in the run. In the barn, the number of hens per square metre is limited to 5 animals. In addition, each hen has at least five square metres of outdoor space. No more than 2,000 laying hens may be kept per barn.

Utilisation area

Broiler chickens: During fattening, a chicken reaches its slaughter weight of 2 kg in a record time of 35 days. This rapid weight gain has serious health consequences. Joint damage is inevitable; the animals can barely stand upright, let alone walk around. Cardiac death and lung failure are also not uncommon.

Laying hens: No matter what type of rearing a hen comes from: After about 15 months, the laying performance decreases. The hen needs a break of 2-3 months, the so-called moult. During this short period, the hens do not lay any eggs. Although they would continue to lay eggs after moulting (slightly fewer, but larger eggs), it is no longer economically viable to keep the hens. They are therefore turned out, which means they are collected, put into crates, driven to the slaughterhouse and killed. Most of these chickens are then disposed of in biogas plants. An undignified end to an undignified and very short existence. To meet the demand for new chickens, new eggs are constantly being hatched. The male chicks are gassed on the day they hatch because they are of no use to the producers.

Consumption

Consumption of poultry meat and eggs in Switzerland remains at a consistently high level, despite all the reports on climate change, health and animal suffering.