Sustainable hatchery BIO Furstenhof hatches first HatchCare chicks

HatchTech customer BIO Furstenhof, part of the organic farming business FL Brüterei M-V GmbH, has hatched its first chicks using HatchCare. The high-end organic laying hen producer opened its first hatchery near Rostock in north-eastern Germany in March 2019. Having started the incubation process with a batch of 25,000 eggs, BIO Furstenhof now plans to increase this number to 120,000 on a weekly basis.

FL Brüterei’s partnership with HatchTech aligns with the company’s focus on delivering high-quality produce using modern technical processes. FL Brüterei invested two million euros in the vacant building of a former discount store to set up its premises. It took two years to rebuild and is now fully digitised. Today, every step of the brooding and hatching process can be monitored and documented by computer.

‘Increasingly, consumers are interested in the origins of their food and the welfare of the animals,’ says the managing director of the hatchery, Annalina Behrens. ‘Our new hatchery and its early feeding system enables us to cater to this need. We’re delighted to be finally getting started and that the first chicks have hatched.’

 

A business with an ecological ethos

Animal welfare is a priority at BIO Furstenhof. The excellent conditions give the chicks everything they need for a healthy start in life, ensuring long-term chick quality. After leaving the hatcher, the new-born chicks end up in a HatchCare basket where they have access to sufficient feed and water straight from birth.

This approach goes hand in hand with the company’s sustainable ethos. The building’s state-of-the-art technology provides it with excellent insulation and energy-efficient heating, which draws on climate-neutral heat recovery. Moreover, modern LED illumination provides sufficient light as well as maximum energy savings. HatchTech is delighted that this innovative, future-looking producer has chosen HatchCare to support the growth of its business.