Pasture-raised broilers offer rare Finnish alternative to indoor production

A small number of Finnish farms are raising broilers outdoors in movable shelters, offering an unusual alternative to the country’s dominant indoor production system, Yle reports.

At Karhula farm in Lahti, rural entrepreneur Esa-Pekka Helin is raising three batches of about 600 broilers during this pasture season. The birds eat fresh plants and insects from the ground, as well as feed provided by the farm.

The broilers are kept indoors for about three weeks after arriving as chicks, until they have enough feathers to stay outside. They then grow for eight to 10 weeks before being slaughtered. Conventionally produced broilers in Finland are usually slaughtered at about five weeks old.

Helin moves the greenhouse-like shelter once a day as the birds consume the vegetation. The broilers follow the shelter to fresh pasture, where they can scratch the ground and search for insects.

“It supports the bird’s natural behaviour that it can scratch around and become interested in insects, for example. This keeps it alert,” Helin says.

The birds at Karhula farm have been kept on sown grass this summer. Helin says fallow land could also be used, provided the ground is level enough to pull the shelter across it. The birds’ manure fertilises the soil, allowing the grass to grow back relatively quickly if the birds are not kept in one place for too long.

Helin became interested in the method after reading an article last year about pasture-raised broilers in movable shelters. He had been considering how to continue operating his family farm and what kind of production could suit its diversified activities.

“Year-round meat production did not feel like a sensible option for me. This feels good because it is seasonal, and it allows you to produce meat with reasonable initial investments,” he says.

The start-up cost is about 50,000 euros, and the product has attracted demand.

Nearly all broiler meat produced in Finland still comes from large indoor facilities operating throughout the year. According to the Finnish Poultry Association, about 170 farms raise broilers, with an average of 80,000 birds per farm.

Alternative methods could support food security

Pasture-raised broilers account for only a very small share of all broiler meat produced in Finland. However, Satu Raussi, a leading expert at the Centre for Animal Welfare, says the method may have its own market.

Some consumers place a strong emphasis on animal welfare and are willing to seek products that match their ethical principles, Raussi says. She considers it useful for Finland to develop ways of raising broilers other than in large indoor facilities.

If conventional production were hit by an unexpected crisis, alternative methods could also be important for food security, Raussi says.

Helin initially sought advice from Tuiskula farm in Siuntio, where the method is now being used for a second summer. Two other Finnish farms had already raised pasture broilers in somewhat different types of shelters.

Raising laying hens on pasture is more common than raising broilers outdoors.

Tuiskula farm’s adviser Pieter-Jan Van Damme says demand for its pasture-raised broilers has been strong. During the first summer, the number of birds was so high that the workload became excessive.