Lebenshilfe Huehnerei

People with and without disabilities breed old and endangered chicken species. They take responsibility for securing biodiversity, caring for the chickens and maintaining the stables. In addition, people with disabilities act as experts and pass on their knowledge to young people, who can gain experience and new skills through supervised breeding projects in schools and kindergartens. In addition, the rearing in Reutte has developed into a showcase project with a high level of expertise in recent years, with chicken breeders throughout Europe benefiting from the dispatch of broods.

Chicken breeds are threatened with extinction because pedigree chickens cannot lay large quantities of eggs. For this reason, so-called hybrid chickens have been bred for many years, which lay up to 300 eggs per year and generate more profit. 

People with disabilities ensure the survival of endangered chicken species sheltered in in-house barns, where a European-wide brood dispatch service is offered. Moreover, we organise breeding projects in collaboration with schools and kindergartens in the region. Some of the chickens bred are also sold on the regional livestock market. 

The project enables people with disabilities to become active players in safeguarding biodiversity. They take responsibility for rearing chickens and serve as community experts. The work in the barns is well received by clients, as contact with animals is calming and stablising. 

Since 2011, 19 clients have participated in the project and supported species conservation. 13 kindergartens and schools benefited from 20 breeding projects, which increased the participation of people with disabilities in society. Eleven chicken breeds were revitalised and are no longer considered endangered. 

People with disabilities are community experts; they show children in kindergartens and schools how chickens are bred and cared for. Young people learn to appreciate domestic farm animals and increase their awareness of the importance of biodiversity. The project can thus be carried out in other regions in Europe.