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Poultry

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Poultry

There are numerous breeds of chicken in Switzerland, most of which are of particular interest to hobby keepers. Farmers rely on special breeds. A distinction is made between laying lines for egg production and fattening lines for the production of chicken meat. A laying hen lays around 320 eggs per year. A broiler chicken is fattened and ready for slaughter at around one month.

Producers keep other poultry species for meat production, including turkeys, ducks and geese. Quails are also kept at specialised farms for the production of eggs.

Image: Philippe Ammann / ProSpecieRara

Swiss chicken breeds

Our country is home to three Swiss chicken breeds. They stand out thanks to their particularly beautiful plumage colours and markings. The two breeds of laying hens lay around 150 eggs weighing 55 grams each in the first year, while the dual-purpose breed can lay up to 200 eggs. All three breeds are cold-hardy.

Swiss chicken breeds

When hens lay eggs

Hens lay eggs in order to have offspring. However, they also lay them when no rooster is to be seen. The eggs are then left unfertilised, meaning that no chicks can hatch from them. In order to produce eggs, laying hens require light, water and enough food. Those who also want eggs in winter therefore have to make use of artificial lighting. The ancestors of our hens stopped producing eggs during the winter months, as the conditions for breeding were not good at this time.

Hens do not need a rooster

The red junglefowl is the wild primary ancestor of the present-day domestic chicken. In the case of the red junglefowl, a rooster often lives together with several hens. The rooster is responsible for the fertilisation of the hens’ eggs, maintaining order within the flock and defending the hens against enemies. It is not necessary, however, for the hens to be kept together with a rooster. Hobby chicken farmers, in particular, often do without a rooster for noise reasons. This is because many neighbours are disturbed by the loud crows at dawn.

Poultry meat is white

The meat colour is related to the reddish muscle protein myoglobin. Animals whose muscles are designed for long and enduring power work have red meat – like cattle, for example. Hens, on the other hand, are not specialised in endurance, but rather the short-term use of strength. For this reason, their meat has less myoglobin and is light.

The egg came before the chicken

It is actually a philosophical question whether the chicken or egg came first. But science already has an answer: it was the egg. This is because only from the egg was it possible for a new poultry species to develop through a mutation.

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Eggs

Swiss people eat around 180 eggs each year. It is increasingly important to them that the eggs come from Switzerland.

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Animal welfare

Many farmers do more than the strict Animal Welfare Act requires. They take part in animal welfare programmes and produce for labels.  Checks are conducted to ensure that the rules are observed.

Animal welfare