500 visitors at the inauguration of a laying house – impressive for a town with 2,000 inhabitants. That’s how many people accepted the van Wieren family’s invitation to witness the inauguration of their new laying house in Ringe in the German district County of Bentheim, close to the Dutch border. “We hadn’t expected the inauguration to be this popular,” says a delighted Lennart van Wieren. The project obviously hits a nerve: modern egg production uniting bird welfare and profitability. For the van Wieren family, this project is a production type expansion: in addition to sows, they now also keep laying hens. During the day, the birds have access to the range. For the night, they return to the house, which is equipped with the Natura Step XL aviary system from Big Dutchman.
The van Wieren family trusts in hens and high-tech
New house for egg production inaugurated in Northwestern Germany
The poultry equipment supplier from Vechta-Calveslage developed this aviary specifically for barn egg production and free range egg production. The aim: economically viable and efficient operation of laying houses, a reduced workload for the farmers and, last but not least, a welfare-friendly environment for the hens.
The concept has already convinced many egg producers: Natura Step XL is one of Big Dutchman’s bestsellers today.
Stepped design: Levels of different widths ensure that all functional areas – especially the integrated nest level – are easily accessible.
Good accessibility: All areas of the aviary are easy to reach for staff and birds, which facilitates nest inspection for the workers.
Drinker placement: Nipple drinkers directly in front of the nests promote acceptance and use of the laying nests.
Hygiene: Two manure belt levels reliably remove the manure, reducing the ammonia load and improving the air quality in the house.
Cleaning: The back panel at the nest entrance can be unhinged, which is a practical solution for thorough cleaning after each flock.
Space utilisation: With Natura Step XL, the hens can actively use the entire floor as scratching area.
The aviary system is part of a well-thought-out overall concept that relies on practical technology. This includes DuoLite: an energy-saving LED lamp that has been specifically developed for poultry houses. The lamp consumes little energy, is flicker-free, infinitely dimmable and distributes its light evenly – ideal working conditions for the staff and the birds.
The control centre at the core of the house is ViperTouch. This climate and production computer controls ventilation, temperature and the feeding system and is easy to operate at a touchscreen. All data is recorded automatically and can be retrieved at any time.
BFN Fusion is an extremely smart enhancement. The cloud-based platform makes all climate and production data available regardless of the user’s location. This means that the van Wieren family can not only keep an eye on their house at the computer but also has all information ready in their pocket via smartphone. All important temperature, feeding and ventilation data can be called up in real time simply by touching a display. This creates transparency and, at the same time, the foundation for data-based management of the daily tasks in a poultry house.
