During the 32-month project the 19 networks were established in five European countries across the Czech-Republic, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Fifteen networks focused on finding practical solutions to problems related to feather (or injurious) pecking on-farm. Four further networks focused on practice-led innovation in the economically challenging handling and use of end-of lay hens. Facilitators provided by the project supported the networks through six critical steps: problem identification, generation of ideas, planning, small scale trials, implementation and sharing with others. In addition to helping source relevant technical information, the project also provided some financial support for prototype and testing costs.
During the project, the Hennovation networks tackled a range of technical challenges through the development of different types of innovations. Most ideas tested were incremental, some were more radical yet both were equally valued and important to increase motivation and build the capacity of the network to innovate. Alongside technical ‘hard’ or product innovations (e.g. new type of litter material to reduce stress and encourage natural behaviour or the use of alpacas in organic systems to reduce predation), a variety of ‘soft’ innovations emerged (e.g. a new way of marketing low valued hen meat and new relationships between production chain actors such as pullet rearers). Some ideas developed and tested were innovative in a specific farm context though not necessarily innovative for the laying-hen sector. Others had a potential to have a great impact on the sector.
A knowledge base developed by the project, operationalised in the form of a wiki (www.HenHub.eu) provided an information resource for advisors and producers to comment and add their knowledge thereby integrating science and practical knowledge. A variety of materials were developed for the exploitation of the project result and integrating existing (scientific) as well as newly co-generated knowledge; such as extension manuals on Feather Peaking and the End-of Lay, an online training course, 38 Practice Abstracts and five Technical notes. Guidelines for network facilitation and a Hennovation video, explaining the practice-driven approach, were also developed and available online.
