Major Norwegian broiler chicken producer improves chicken welfare to fulfill the European Chicken Commitment standards, following close collaboration with the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance.

The unlikely collaboration between chicken producer Norsk Kylling ("Norwegian Chicken") and the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance started in 2016. At that time the slaughterhouse was rebuilt, replacing traditional shackling  and electrical stunning with less invasive gas stunning. In 2018 the production introduced a slower growing breed, and in 2022 the stocking density was lowered and daylight introduced for all birds.

– We are thrilled to see such major improvements in this very intensive production. Norsk Kylling demonstrates to its competitors that better animal welfare is a matter of will, says head of communications at the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance, Live Kleveland.

Minimum space requirement for chickens in Norway is 36 kg/m2. Norsk Kylling has now lowered the stocking density to 30 kg/m2. The birds are given perches and pecking substrates. A decrease in stocking density clearly is costly and has been an issue of much consideration. Norsk Kylling now complies with the European Chicken Commitment (EEC).

On some points they even exceed the EEC standards. The standard requires minimum 50 lux including daylight. Instead of just adding a few small windows, like many farms do, some of the producers have built huge windows equivalent to 3% of the floor area.

– On sunny days the chickens sunbathe, says farmer Tove from Norsk Kylling.

Having produced chickens for a long time, Tove explains that she can really feel the difference compared to traditional housing. Even her own workday has improved. She likes to work in daylight and passers-by stop by to watch through the windows.

As the farms are situated close to the polar circle natural daylight disappears most of the day for several months every year. To compensate electric lightening with daylight spectrum has been added to every shed. The windows can also be blinded so the birds are given complete darkness for a total of eight hours every day, particularly in the summer with midnight sun.

The Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance has developed the lighting requirements and is thrilled to see it work successfully.

– At the outset we were told that such big windows would cause the buildings to collapse and that too much daylight would cause hysteria among the birds. Now both chickens and farmers clearly benefit from the improvements, says Live Kleveland from the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance.

The Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance continues to work for chicken welfare, and now targets the main producer in Norway – the farmers' cooperative Nortura.