No laying performance - no earnings - chicken housing
The sensitive chickens are not asked about their sensitivities
What do humans know about chickens? Many people think they are stupid animals without feelings. They just cluck away and then lay an egg.
Our children hardly know how old happy chickens can get. In the childhood of many adults, there were chickens on their grandparents’ farm that laid eggs or laid fewer or no eggs at all because they were already old. Nevertheless, they were allowed to live until they were perhaps eaten at some point or simply died because they had reached their maximum age.
It is not possible to tell people often enough about how much effort chickens have to put in, how much they suffer and endure pain and also how they themselves deal with fear.
The modern “high-performance egg machines”
Gut Aiderbichl has been taking in chickens from farms that are to be barned since 2018. This year, too, chickens were taken in that had to be barned due to moulting. In total, around 700 chickens had to be rescued so that they would not be killed as a result of being turned out. Various organisations, including Gut Aiderbichl, saved the chickens from dying.
The moulting season
Moulting doesn’t just affect chickens, but all birds: once a year, the plumage is changed, which is important but also stressful for the animal.
Plumage is to birds what fur is to mammals. This includes skin protection and temperature insulation. In order for the feathers to fulfil their function well, they must be in optimum condition. However, external factors can damage the plumage over time. Feathers fall out, become brittle or dirty. This is why chickens go through a moult once a year.
The effects of moulting
The shedding of old feathers and the production of new feathers are hormonally controlled. During the moult, the health of the chicken is affected by
- greater risk of injury to the bald patches of skin
- greater risk of mites and other parasites
- increased nutrient and vitamin requirements
- Decline or complete lack of laying performance
The laying hen as a business
People who keep laying hens for commercial purposes normally send the flock to the slaughterhouse between the 65th and 90th week of life. But laying hens can actually live much longer.
Cheeky Badger, Karina, Tamara, Arielle, Diana and all the others are chickens from a flock that should have been put to sleep. They have been living at Gut Aiderbichl in Deggendorf for years. When they were admitted, they were 1.5 years old and had failed to lay. The rescued flock of chickens has now welcomed the new arrivals in August 2025.
Renewed rescue operation for 12 young former laying hens
Trudi, Greta, Liesl, Klara, Theresa, Roxy, Melina, Alissa, Nadine, Antonia, Samira and Paulina are part of the flock that was released in 2025. The new arrivals were immediately greeted with cackling by Frechdachs, Karina, Tamara, Arielle and Diana. Now they are recovering, enjoying the sun, the great food and a life without fear of dying.
Plenty of space, lots of exercise, good food and friends
By nature, chickens love lots of exercise, fresh water and a balanced diet, a safe henhouse and plenty of fresh air.
Trudi, Greta, Liesl, Klara, Theresa, Roxy, Melina, Alissa, Nadine, Antonia, Samira and Paulina can make lots of friends and live out their character.
Each chicken has its own character and personality
There are chickens that want to be stroked, they show their affection for humans by lightly scratching their skin or rubbing their leg with their beak. They come closer to people sitting in the grass and sit on their laps to be stroked.
Every day, the animal keepers at Gut Aiderbichl are able to experience new and special stories with the “cooped-up chickens”.
And one thing is clear: chickens are not stupid, they are musical and they want recognition.
– Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
From: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
