Legal requirements

Legal requirements for the husbandry of poultry in Germany

Parameters for the minimum statutory requirements for laying hens (deep litter system) in Germany:

  •    for nine laying hens at least 1 m² usable area
  •    maximum stocking rate of 6000 laying hens per seperated barn unit
  •    edge length of feeding troughs: at least 10 cm/hen
  •    7 hens/nest (35 x 25 cm), group nests: max. 120 laying hens per 1m² nesting area
  •    litter area (at least 1/3rd of the accessible barn area) must be freely available during the light phase, at least 250 cm2/hen
  •    suitable perches without sharp edges must be provided (at least 15 cm length/hen)
  •    access to a winter garden or access to a free range area.

Read more here.

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