Why a social chicken coop?

The social chicken coop is a new project launched in the province of Bologna , designed to guarantee the welfare of the hens and offer citizens an opportunity to increase their awareness of the origin of food.

In fact, food products of animal origin too often derive from intensive farming in which animals are exploited, forced to live in tiny cages or crowded together, without guaranteeing adequate care for the specimens and respect for their needs.

The mistreatment of animals in intensive farming has a direct and indirect impact on our health since in the absence of well-being and adequate sanitary conditions, it goes without saying that the product that arrives on our tables will be of poor quality.

Furthermore, intensive farming has a huge environmental impact as it steals soil and produces large amounts of polluting emissions that end up in the air we breathe and which contribute to global warming and the effects of the climate crisis .

Fortunately, the environmental awareness of citizens is increasing and, consequently, some realities today offer alternatives to intensive farming that guarantee sustainability, animal welfare and product quality.

This is the case, for example , of the social chicken coop, a project carried out by the Seacoop Social Cooperative within the La Tartaruga Occupational Center in the Municipality of Toscanella di Dozza, in the province of Bologna. 

The social chicken coop, what it is and how to adopt a hen

The La Tartaruga Occupational Center welcomes people with physical, cognitive and relational disabilities, offering them opportunities for socialization and work in various fields, from horticulture to the production of ceramic, wood or recycled paper products.

The new social chicken coop was recently launched within the Center , which joins the existing activities.

Two wooden structures were therefore built in the spaces managed by the Cooperative which now house 75 laying and Leghorn hens .

The hens are guaranteed freedom and well-being: they are in fact free to go outside on the lawn and scratch safely in a fenced pasture, or to shelter in the houses if they wish.

The hens are guaranteed a balanced diet that includes fresh vegetables produced on site and which helps to improve the nutritional value of the eggs produced .

The La Tartaruga Occupational Center offers the possibility of adopting one of the hens hosted: the staff of the center takes care of the animal and whoever adopts it will have in exchange the delicious eggs whose consumption does not contribute to either animal exploitation or environmental pollution. 

Adopting a hen does not only mean having excellent fresh eggs available but it is an opportunity to increase one’s awareness of the importance of guaranteeing animals a dignified life and protecting the environment.

Only by changing the way we raise animals, choosing methods that put nature and its respect first , it is possible to make farms sustainable and bring quality products to our tables.