Later this month, a new grant for hen housing will be available in England to laying hen and pullet farmers with flocks of 1,000 birds or more.
The Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare grant supports farmers to undertake infrastructure projects that will not only improve the health and welfare of their animals, but also support environmental sustainability and innovation.
Grants are available for 2 types of project:
1. Building a new veranda
Grant amount: Between £5,000 and £100,000 is available toward the cost of installing a new veranda on an existing building.
The additional space offered by a veranda can help to improve welfare issues, for example, feather pecking. Feather pecking is an abnormal behaviour whereby some laying hens peck others sometimes removing feathers, which can result in poor plumage, patches of feather loss, skin damage and even death. Where feather pecking develops into injurious pecking and the protective function of the bird’s plumage is lost, this can trigger cannibalism which is a serious animal welfare problem.
Verandas can reduce crowding within indoor housing, increase range use, and provide access to fresh air and natural light when range access is not possible, including when a housing order is in force.
Grants for these veranda-only projects are going to be awarded on a first come first serve basis, so it is important to read the guidance so you’re ready to apply when the application window opens.
2. Updating housing stock
Grant available: between £15,000 and £500,000 is available toward the cost of refurbishing or replacing existing laying hen and pullet housing.
This is an opportunity to enhance how flocks are housed, with features designed to deliver excellent levels of health and welfare; fixed bio-secure, multi-tier housing with non-flicker LED lighting and mechanical ventilation.
Funding for roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will also be available as part of these larger projects. A veranda can also be built as part of this project.
The grant will be available to farmers with any current housing system and will support anyone looking to make the transition from colony cages to high-welfare loose-housing.
Next steps
Guidance for the grant has been published on GOV.UK ahead of the application window opening this month.
