Animal welfare standards
Our quality is based on the highest food safety standards, and our safety is the result of compliance with the highest European, Scandinavian and domestic standards. Our strengths lie in our well-educated specialists and highly-qualified workers, ensuring full supervision over the chickens; breeding, growth, and subsequent production processes. From an egg to a boxed and packaged product – we oversee every step of the way.
Saulius Petkevičius,
member of the board at Ķekava Foods AS, responsible for matters related to aviculture.
Our commitment to animal welfare is fundamental to our operations. We believe that the quality of our products is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of our birds. As such, we’ve implemented stringent standards to ensure that our chickens are raised in environments that promote their health and happiness. Here’s how we make it happen:
High Standards for Living Conditions
- Our birds are afforded freedom of movement in conditions that mimic their natural habitat.
- The air in our facilities is continuously ventilated and temperature-controlled.
- Lighting is designed to replicate day and night conditions, ensuring our chickens receive seven hours of uninterrupted rest to promote optimal health.
High-Quality Feed for Our Chickens
- The cornerstone of our chickens’ health is their diet. We produce the well-balanced and nutritious feed ourselves, sourcing raw materials from local farmers.
- Our feed includes locally grown wheat, corn, and oils from rapeseed or sunflowers, providing a robust diet.
- Protein is sourced from sustainably and responsibly cultivated soya, as is attested by Pro-Terra certification.
- Continuous feedback from our poultry houses allows for the development of tailored feed, ensuring each bird receives exactly what it needs for healthy growth.
Antibiotic-Free Approach
- We lead the way in the Baltics and are among the few in Europe raising chickens with reduced antibiotic use. Our approach has for the last few years enabled us to ensure that 100% of the chickens at Ķekava Foods are raised without any contact with antibiotics, a fact that is also highlighted on our product packaging as “raised without antibiotics.”
- Despite the prevalent use of antibiotics in poultry farming, which poses the risk of antibiotic resistance affecting public health, we’ve established a system that supports chickens’ natural growth without relying on antibiotic treatments.
Our approach to animal welfare reflects a deep respect for our birds and a commitment to delivering high-quality, safe and nutritious poultry products to our customers.
How chickens grow?
Click to discover the progression of how our chickens grow, from birth to maturity. Witness each key milestone in their development through our interactive calendar.
