Austria: Sterrer poultry farm combines animal welfare, technology and tradition

• Animal welfare, technology and tradition: the Sterrer poultry farm

One family business, two locations, five rearing houses, five production facilities, a network of contract farmers - and right at the heart of it all: Gerold and Alexandra Sterrer. The Sterrer poultry farm, located in Gaspoltshofen, Austria, is no small operation - and a prime example of how a family business, entrepreneurship and technology come together to form a powerful whole in agriculture. And to show that animal welfare is more than just a slogan.

Animal welfare is not just a slogan

The reason is obvious - and can be found in the houses. "Animal welfare is no marketing strategy for us but built into every aviary," say Alexandra and Gerold Sterrer about their decision to use Big Dutchman aviaries for rearing and egg production. A decision they have never regretted.

And that's no surprise: the German poultry equipment supplier has been designing and enhancing aviaries for decades. This work has resulted in a wide range of aviary systems, with solutions for new houses, conversions, and refurbishments alike, suitable for almost any type of building and farm size.

From the chick to the egg: Big Dutchman aviaries right from the start

Key figures at a glance:

Rearing

• five family-owned rearing houses at two locations, with a total of 75,000 rearing places;
• equipped with Natura R aviaries, the predecessor of the Natura Primus system;
• additionally: cooperations with five contract farmers, who have a further 127,000 rearing places equipped with Natura Primus aviaries for pullets.

Egg production

• five layer houses with 45,000 bird places;
• barn egg production with Natura Nova Twin and Natura Colony 2000 aviaries;
• production of table eggs for the Austrian food retail industry.

Big Dutchman technology that keeps the business running

The "eyes of the Lord" - and the smartphone in the farmer's hand

Of course, Gerold Sterrer continues to inspect his flocks every day. The "eyes of the Lord" are responsible for good results, after all. That has always been the case, and nothing has changed. But the farmer has enlisted some valuable support - support he can put in his pocket:

All houses, both locations, all flocks: for around three years now, the entire farm has been working with BFN Fusion. Every house is equipped with a ViperTouch controller; all units are interconnected: a digital nervous system that never sleeps.

Flock data, alarms, house climate and much more: everything is readily available on the display at any time. That's not a treat for tech enthusiasts. That's modern poultry farming

"We definitely have many more options for optimisation, which means actual cash in our pockets."

Gerold Sterrer

We have already discussed BFN Fusion in detail here. If you'd like to find out more about the platform and how it's being used at the Sterrer farm, we recommend this video from December 2024 - instructive, detailed and certainly worth watching. Watch now: Egg Production Efficiency with BFN Fusion

Anyone who wants to know what poultry farming is like today - and what it will be like tomorrow - should take a closer look right here. Alexandra and Gerold Sterrer are leading by example. Big Dutchman provides what they need to be able to do so.