Dual-purpose chickenDas Zweinutzungshuhn bezeichnet Zuchtlinien, die sowohl für die Eierproduktion als auch für die Fleischgewinnung geeignet sind. Im Gegensatz zu spezialisierten Hochleistungstieren – bei denen entweder auf hohe Legeleistung (Legehennen) oder schnelles Fleischwachstum (Masthähnchen) gezüchtet werden – bietet das Zweinutzungshuhn eine Möglichkeit beide Eigenschaften in einem Tier zu vereinen. Da jedoch keine Spezialisierung vorliegt, sind die Leistungen bei Ei und Fleisch ausgeglichen und in der Regel etwas geringer, als die Leistungen von spezialisierten Tieren. -adapted rations, alternative protein sources, effects and adaptation options
Work package II - Selective trials insects and algae
Prof. Dr. Julia Hankel; Dr. Fabian Spieß;
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Work package III - Feeding trials with reduced nutrient density
Dr. Daniela Werner; Helen Pluschke
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Work package III - Feeding trials with reduced nutrient density
Work package IV - Practical trials Reduction
Prof. Dr. Eva Saliu; Annemarie Kaiser; Alexander Max Rettig
Work package V - Nutrient balancing, environmental assessment, feed safety
Work package VI - Feeding optimization and alternative protein sources in cultivation
Dr. Oliver Schlüter; Denise Schadow
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Work package VII - Knowledge transfer
Gwendolyn Manek; Elias Schmelzer
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Work package I - Project management and coordination
Inga Günther; Sebastian Fuchs
This project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity as part of the Federal Organic Farming Programme.
Ökologische Tierzucht gGmbH (ÖTZ) is part of the consortium which, in the project “sLowFeedChickIns - Optimized nutrient supply of dual-purpose chickens - Adapted rations, alternative protein sources, effects and adaptation options”, aims to show new ways of optimizing the rearing of dual-purpose chickens with regard to regional raw material procurement, reduced competition with human nutrition and the origin of protein components.
The project is funded as part of the “Announcement on the funding of research and development projects to secure sustainable nutrition for farm animals under changing climatic conditions” of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) and will run for four years. It is being carried out in cooperation with the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation (Institute of Animal Nutrition), the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (Department of Organic Animal Husbandry), the Thünen Institute (Institute of Organic Farming), the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and Bioland Beratung, which is coordinating the project together with ÖTZ. The basic assumption of the project is that
The basic assumption and working hypothesis of the project is, that Dual-purpose chicken show a higher tolerance with regard to feed components and nutrient density and will show a higher overall resilience to climate change and the associated temperature changes due to their lower metabolic activity.
The aim is to investigate the extent to which the protein density currently recommended in organic farming can be gradually reduced and, in a second step, to what extent emission-sensitive protein components such as soy or sunflower press cake can be replaced by various insects and macroalgae, while at the same time optimizing the protein matrix for poultry feed.
The experiments are carried out in small groups as part of selective experiments and subsequently in practice-relevant flock sizes, both in relation to laying hens and fattening animals.
In addition, various tests are being carried out to shed light on the feed safety of the components used and to demonstrate the climate-neutral potential of producing the alternative protein sources.
The project and the project results focus strongly on feasibility in current agricultural practice and the project team is therefore in close contact with feed mills, farms and manufacturers of feed components on an ongoing basis. The bottom line is to develop feed mixtures that guarantee an optimal nutrient supply with maximum use of regional components and, due to the high use of material by-products, represent as little competition as possible with human nutrition.
Modern chicken feeding is based on surveys of the nutrient requirements of specialized laying hens and broilers. The breeding companies' recommendations for feeding their breeds always include a safety margin to avoid the negative effects of fluctuating nutrient levels or individual animals with different performance levels. This approach focuses on the animal and its nutritional requirements to realize its performance potential and is made possible by the use of protein-rich feed components such as extraction meal, maize gluten, soya or potato protein as well as the use of synthetic amino acids. Organic chicken feeding, on the other hand, faces the challenge that some of the options mentioned for achieving an optimal amino acid pattern in the feed are not in line with the principles of organic farming. For example, solvent-free but lower-protein press cakes are used instead of extraction meal, and the use of synthetic amino acids is prohibited.
The degree of self-sufficiency of organic oil plants (soy, rapeseed, sunflower), which are essential for the supply of methionine in organic farming, is currently 15 - 20 % in Germany; conversely, the feeding of organic poultry in Germany is highly dependent on exports.
We assume that Dual-purpose chickenDas Zweinutzungshuhn bezeichnet Zuchtlinien, die sowohl für die Eierproduktion als auch für die Fleischgewinnung geeignet sind. Im Gegensatz zu spezialisierten Hochleistungstieren – bei denen entweder auf hohe Legeleistung (Legehennen) oder schnelles Fleischwachstum (Masthähnchen) gezüchtet werden – bietet das Zweinutzungshuhn eine Möglichkeit beide Eigenschaften in einem Tier zu vereinen. Da jedoch keine Spezialisierung vorliegt, sind die Leistungen bei Ei und Fleisch ausgeglichen und in der Regel etwas geringer, als die Leistungen von spezialisierten Tieren. show a higher tolerance with regard to the general nutrient density in the feed due to their overall lower performance and lower metabolic activity. This applies in particular to the protein content of the feed. From this, it can be deduced that the current feeding recommendations for laying and broiler chickens in organic farming are significantly higher than the animals' requirements and that significant economic and ecological savings potentials are possible for agricultural practice. As the current economic disadvantages of dual-purpose genetics can be reduced primarily by reducing input rather than increasing output, we see this as a key building block for improved market acceptance.
For this reason, the first step in this project is to determine the potential for actual savings across various stages of reduced feeding strategies in controlled trial herds and on practical farms in order to obtain indications for future feeding recommendations.
As part of the project, we assume that significant reductions can be achieved in the feeding recommendations with regard to protein supply (see above). In a second step, we will take a closer look at the extent to which existing protein components in the feeding of organic poultry can be substituted by alternative protein sources. The degree of self-sufficiency for methionine-rich feed components (primarily press cake from organic oil plants) in Germany can currently be classified as very low, and the entire sector is highly dependent on exports.
For this reason, the aim is not only to find answers to the extent to which the overall protein content, but also the export dependency can be reduced through regionally and nationally produced components.
The production of domestic protein components is confronted with a number of challenges, not least the fact that production often competes with human nutrition, either in terms of land consumption or because plant components are also directly available as a food source. For this reason, the question was extended to include the dimension of reduced competition with human nutrition. In a second step, insects and macroalgae will therefore be examined more closely as potential feeding components.
The use of insects in poultry feed is obvious due to their ethological use alone, but macroalgae also show promising potential with regard to the project objectives. Depending on the species, analysis values show promising protein contents with a focus on the limiting amino acids methionine and cysteine. In addition, the production of animal feed from algae instead of traditional crops has the potential to save large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, especially through savings in land use and, at least for the time being, represents a minor competition to human nutrition. In addition, production in marine aquaculture in particular, but also in closed systems on land, could significantly reduce the water footprint. There are opportunities for national production (North Sea and Baltic Sea) as well as regional production via aquaculture.
In its preliminary deliberations, the consortium examined the potential of the following components in detail:
The following four alternative protein sources were finally selected for the selective trials:
There are currently hardly any legal restrictions on the feeding of macroalgae to livestock. Limited usability as feed or feed additive is primarily due to undesirable ingredients (e.g. very high iodine or potassium content), acceptance (taste and smell) or availability or pricing.
The situation is somewhat more complicated when it comes to feeding insects.
In the EU, feed legislation (in particular Regulation 68/2013 + 767/2009) regulates which types of algae are permitted as feed or feed additives. With a few exceptions, all currently interesting algae species are listed. Exceptions are e.g. certain red algae (Asparagopsis taxiformis / armata - methane reduction in cattle) or certain processing stages (hydrolysates/extracts) outside of simple drying.
In addition to general approval under feed legislation, organic certification is also decisive for possible use in organic farming. A basic distinction can be made between certified wild collection and certified aquaculture. The certified production of microalgae and macroalgae in aquaculture is considered to be relatively straightforward, as the need for regulation is primarily focused on the nutrient substrate used and the use of approved inputs. There are a number of suppliers and various types of algae for certified wild collection from the North Sea and Atlantic.
Due to the BSE crisis of the 1990s, the feeding of animal protein was and is severely restricted in the EU. Since 2021, the EU has partially allowed the use of processed animal protein (PAP) again, albeit with severe restrictions. For example, PAP may not be fed within the same animal species and feeding to ruminants is generally prohibited. Feeding insects was and is also subject to this general ban. EU (Regulation) 2021/1372 regulates this area anew: "Consequently, processed animal protein from insects should be permitted for feeding poultry and pigs under the same conditions that apply to the feeding of aquaculture animals. (16)". The ban on feeding insects to aquaculture animals had already been amended in 2017.
Insects bred for the production of processed animal protein (PAP) are considered farm animals. As of 2024, soldier flies, houseflies, flour beetles, grain beetles, crickets, short-winged crickets and common black crickets are approved as beneficial insects in the EU. In order to produce approval-compliant PAP from live insects, certain processing methods must be observed (EU (Regulation) 142/2011 Annex IV Chapter III), such as pressure sterilization or various types of heating.
Processed animal protein derived from farmed insects shall be produced in processing plants which are approved in accordance with Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 and which exclusively produce products derived from farmed insects. Compound feed containing processed animal protein from farmed insects shall be produced in establishments which are approved by the competent authority and which exclusively produce feed for aquaculture animals, poultry, pigs and fur animals. An up-to-date overview can be found on the BMELH website. here
As insects kept for feed production are classified as livestock (Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009), the same requirements apply to feed substrates as for other livestock species.
In addition to ruminant components and animal or human faeces, the ban also includes the feeding of waste from the catering industry and food waste containing fish or meat (Regulation (EC) No. 767/2009; Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009, Regulation (EC) No. 142/2011).
The feeding of live or hydrolyzed insects to livestock was already permitted in the past, but was considered to be of little practical use. Accordingly, live or hydrolyzed insects are not included in the “positive list of feed materials” used in Germany. The positive list is based on a voluntary agreement between the stakeholders involved and lists feedstuffs that are considered suitable after various tests (Zentralausschuss der Deutschen Landwirtschaft, 2019)
Insects can be used as live food animals. However, this requires that dead insects are separated. Dead insects must not be fed unprocessed. If the dead insects are not separated from the live insects, the insects may not be fed unprocessed.
Commission's draft law is available, expected to be adopted by the end of 2023. The expert group EGTOP (Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production) has already been consulted on the future authorization of insects in the organic sector. Their recommendations should be be published within of the year 2025. Therefore a final discussion and formalization cannot be expected before 2026.
The following are currently permitted as foodstuffs:
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Project management and coordination
If you have any questions about the project, please contact
Sebastian Fuchs
Project coordination
Mail: sebastian.fuchs@oekotierzucht.de
or:
Inga Günther-Bender
Project management
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