Michaël and Jessica Mercier, parents of two children aged 8 and 6, run a 54-hectare farm in La Baroche in Ajoie. They keep sheep and grow rapeseed, cereals, green fodder and fruit. in 2019, they built a 1100 m2 BTS barn for 16,500 fattening chickens.
Entry into poultry production
21.10.2020
Getting into poultry production needs to be carefully considered. An interview with two farmers in the Jura who took the plunge. One with a particularly animal-friendly housing system (BTS), the other with free-range farming according to Bio Suisse. Both explain their point of view, how they made the transition and what challenges they had to face.
Sébastien and Joëlle Eicher, also parents of two children aged 15 and 12, run an organic Swiss farm with 47 hectares in Corban in Val Terbi. They have 80 cows (suckler cows and fattening cows) and grow cereals and fruit. in 2017, they built six chicken coops, each 30 m2 in size, on two hectares of their land for a total of 2,600 fattening chickens.
What was the deciding factor for your entry into poultry production?
Michaël Mercier (MM): We were faced with the decision to invest further in our farm. At the time, we had suckler cows. We did the maths and came to the conclusion that a chicken coop would pay for itself much faster than a cattle shed. I asked my colleagues and a poultry specialist from Bell gave me some expert advice.
Sébastien Eicher (SE): We took over the farm from my uncle in 2013 and kept around forty dairy cows. The situation had become critical and I was about to take on an external job. The buildings needed to be renovated. The investment in poultry was small compared to a milking system. What's more, the return was guaranteed and stable.
What concerns did you have when making your decision?MM: I was afraid of being on my own and having to learn everything through practical application. Neither I nor my wife knew anything about poultry farming. In the beginning, we had a consultant from Bell at our side every two days. He almost lived in the chicken coop and his help was worth its weight in gold.
SE: We were also afraid of losing our independence and becoming dependent on a group. But this is not the case at all, on the contrary. In livestock farming and the dairy market, everyone is a lone wolf. If you didn't want to sell the milk at the price offered, you were sent away... It feels good to be part of a team and to work together with partners instead of everyone fighting against each other.
Michaël Mercier
Which husbandry system did you choose and why?
MM: Our farm is divided into individual plots, I wasn't ready for organic. That's why I opted for the BTS system. The advantage is that everything is automated. The temperature is easy to set and it requires less floor space. (Editor's note: In order to set up a BTS chicken house, Bell requires that the inner extension in accordance with Art. 16a of the Spatial Planning Act can be fulfilled, but two producers can join forces.) In terms of animal welfare, the broiler chickens have an outdoor climate area with daylight and ambient temperature. As we keep a lot of broiler chickens, a hygiene problem would have catastrophic consequences.
SE: We decided to go organic because we wanted the entire farm to be certified organic. Bell offered us the full organic price while we were still in the conversion phase. We turned the old barn into a chick house. The chicken coops have to be close to the farm so that we can make sure that our chickens are not taken by foxes or birds of prey. Our neighbor works with the same system, so we help each other with housing the chicks and loading the broiler chickens.
Joëlle and Sébastien Eicher
What does your work look like and how much time do you invest?
MM: The working hours over the year are equivalent to a full-time job. When the chicks arrive, we have to monitor them every two hours - even at night - to ensure an optimal start. Later it's less and we only need to check on the animals twice a day. You need a good eye for that. My wife looks after them for us. It's ideal because it's not physically hard work.
SE: My wife also looks after the animals for us. It's important that it's always the same person, because that way she can spot any irregularities.
MM: Our cycle lasts 30-36 days. The day-old chicks have a high heat requirement of approx. 33°C. During the fattening cycle, the temperature can then be lowered and the animals are given access to the outdoor climate area. When the cycle is complete, the broiler chicks are transported away by truck. Many people from the neighborhood help me with the loading. All the facilities have to be cleaned. We spread the poultry manure on the field or deliver it to the neighboring biogas plant.
SE: For us, the cycle lasts 63 days. When the animals come out of the chick house after three weeks, they are housed in mobile huts. The climate in the mobile hutches is regulated by opening or closing the windows. The summer heat also affects the animals. I have therefore installed a fan to cool the hutches better in summer and we heat them a little in winter. After a cycle, I move the approx. 3.6-ton chicken coops to another pasture. The four pasture locations are stocked in a cycle. Neighbors also help us with the removal. It's a sociable occasion and we all eat together afterwards. There are few opportunities to get together, so we enjoy it.
What were the challenges?
MM: It took two and a half years before we got the building permit. Because we live in a canton with a lot of cows, the spatial planning authority was very suspicious. We had to deal with this in good time. Animal rights activists and sustainability groups in the municipality approached me and threatened to object. But after I explained my arguments and what I wanted to do, they stopped me from doing it.
SE: Also with the building permit, but it only took a year in my case.
Did you have any concerns about spreading chicken manure on the fields?
SE: Yes, the chicken manure has a high ammonia content and therefore smells strongly. But I haven't had any problems.
MM: In the beginning, I spread the manure on more remote fields to see if I could smell anything. And I asked around in the village to see if anyone was bothered by it. I also make sure that I don't just spread it anywhere without checking. If you take the manure to the biogas plant, you lose the smell and the manure can be used for energy at the same time.
Are you planning an expansion?
SE: No, we are operating at maximum capacity. In terms of hygiene, we could hardly manage any more.
MM: Bell doesn't want any larger chicken coops. But I am prepared to continue developing BTS production with Bell.