At the Mantere farm in Lempäälä, 30km south of Tampere, young roosters get fresh air and exercise every day, unlike most other poultry in Finland. This is the second summer that the farm has raised male organic chickens. Rooster chicks, known as cockerels, are usually gassed just after they hatch. This is the fate of an estimated 300 million chicks in Europe every year.
Farmer Niina Nieminen explains that some of the young cockerels are kept outdoors in large cages that are moved every day to give them fresh ground to peck at. Others are kept in a greenhouse with access to a fenced yard, where they spend most of their days. Her Austrian partner, Philipp Mayer, says the decision to raise cockerels is based on ethical and ecological principles.
"We see organic agriculture as a sustainable technology that is feasible, that fits the 21st century," he says. "We're proud that we can be there and push the borders of what is possible a little bit."
Small-scale sales
He notes that raising male chickens for meat is relatively common in Austria and Germany, where gourmets appreciate their meatier taste. He and Nieminen slaughter their chickens at the age of four months, when they weigh about a kilo each. They are frozen and sold whole directly from the farm, at the Tampere indoor market and several small shops.
This summer there are 1,000 cockerels in Lempäälä. The couple plan to at least double that amount to make the business more cost-effective. The farmers are confident of finding customers for these products of a different feather.
"People want to be more aware of where their food comes from and that it is produced in a way that they can agree with," says Mayer. "So we followed this trend, which I'm sure is also coming to Finland."