Mobile hen houses, which are spreading very dynamically in organic and
conventional egg production, presumably meet consumer expectations regarding
visibility and animal welfare to a very large extent and, if moved sufficiently
frequently, have advantages in terms of environmental impact and animal
behaviour. To what extent they also have a positive effect on animal health, an
important aspect of animal welfare, has not yet been proven. They have both
risk reducing and risk promoting factors for various animal welfare aspects.
Farm management is of great importance here. Therefore, one aim of the project
is to assess animal welfare of different types of mobile houses and to identify
specific management requirements, also with regard to predator defence in the
free range, and to assess the effect of specific extension recommendations.
Since an economically successful use of mobile houses depends on whether an
additional benefit compared to stationary houses can be communicated to
consumers, fact-based and target group-specific marketing strategies are to be
developed. Besides the question of egg marketing, the acceptance of mobile
houses by the population is a success factor. Therefore, possible conflicts
when mobile houses are put into operation, as well as residents’ perceptions
with regard to environmental and health effects of mobile stables in the
neighborhood will be investigated. Overall, the project aims to provide
information and recommendations for a future field of laying hen husbandry,
thereby focusing on an innovative husbandry method that promotes contact
between agriculture and society.