Consumers' perspective on chicken husbandry: The case of dual-purpose chickens [thesis]

Brümmer Nanke
According to several studies, chicken farming is seen as the most controversial form of livestock farming among society. One element that is increasingly noticed and criticised is the culling of day-old male chicks. Annually, in Germany, 45 million male chicks of layer breeds are culled directly after hatching because the fattening of the males is unprofitable. This applies to both, conventional and organic animal husbandry. Dual-purpose chickens are one alternative to the culling of day-old
more » ... cks being discussed. They can both, produce meat and lay eggs. The hens lay fewer and smaller eggs than current specialised layers, and the cockerels put on less meat than broilers and need more time and feed to grow, which leads to a higher demand for resources. Consequently, eggs and meat from dual-purpose chickens have a different appearance and are more expensive than products from specialised chickens. Consumers, therefore, play an essential role when it comes to the acceptance and marketability of dual-purpose chickens, as they ultimately decide the success of products at the counter. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is to analyse consumer perspectives on dual-purpose chickens in order to provide implications and recommendations for policy-makers, economy and research when discussing the use of dual-purpose chicken breeds. In contribution 1, an explorative approach was used to gather insights into the topic. 4 Articles included as part of the thesis 4.1 Consumers' perspective on dual-purpose chickens as alternative to the killing of day-old chicks
doi:10.53846/goediss-7495 fatcat:5o7ofo4k65futjl2zqalpdj5hi