The Nonlinear Library EA - Healthier Hens Y2.5 update and new avenues by lukasj10
Apr 19, 2024
14:37
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Healthier Hens Y2.5 update and new avenues, published by lukasj10 on April 19, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
TL;DR
Healthier Hens (HH) aims to improve cage-free hen welfare, focusing on key issues such as keel bone fractures (KBFs). In the last 6 months, we've conducted a vet training in Kenya, found a 42% KBF prevalence, and are exploring alternative promising interventions in collaboration with the
Welfare Footprint Project, publishing transferrable findings along the way. Our staff satisfaction remains high, but concerns about operational capacity are on the rise. We're deciding on future strategies, considering funding and organizational changes. Our budget for Y3 ('23 Sep - '24 Sep) is $65k-$135k, with a $0-70k funding gap.
In this post, we share key updates, lessons learned and our plans for immediate next steps. We hope others can benefit from what we're observing and our attempts to identify promising pathways towards improved hen health and welfare. We welcome feedback from the community.
Key points
Healthier Hens (HH) continues looking for ways to address major sources of cage-free egg-laying hen pain such as keel bone fractures (KBFs) through data collection and capacity building.
Consider reading our
introductory,
6M,
1Y,
1.5Y and
2Y update posts to learn more about our background, mission and updated approach. Due to funding constraints, we had downscaled last year and continue running lean, focusing on identifying promising avenues via mini-projects before piloting anything on the ground.
Our Y3 (Sep '23 - Sep '24) budget will mainly comprise of outreach, staff, travel, and potential research activity costs. We raised $65k for this year's work.
In our ongoing scoping efforts in Kenya we conducted a KBF baseline case study, a vet training workshop on hen welfare, and are exploring a certification scheme and alternative promising interventions. We continue publishing details on how we go about seeking impact for the hens, including outcomes and lessons learned for others to incorporate in their activities.
Our mid-year staff survey revealed overall satisfaction with our culture and values but also some concerns about time commitments and task distribution. Although there is room for improvement, we all still agree that hen welfare is our priority.
Our next strategic decision-making point is in May 2024, where we'll choose a scenario from a pool ranging from shutting down to trialling a couple of interventions, depending on the final impact and cost-efficacy estimates.
Our funding gap is small and scenario-dependent. Our runway is flexible (3M max.). We will need $0-75k for the second half of 2024.
HH team preparing for the vet training, Nairobi, November, 2023.
End of vet training, Nairobi, November, 2023.
Specific HH Y2.5 updates
In-person veterinarian training (
full report here):
We partnered with the University of Nairobi and held a two-day training for vet professionals, who visit farms routinely. The main purpose of the training was to provide knowledge on proper hen welfare and grow on-farm assessment capacity among active professionals.
We had received over 70 applications and invited 22 veterinarians to attend, 18 of whom attended. Our training was approved by the Kenya Veterinary Board as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity earning the participants 16 CPD points each - a factor that significantly incentivised the participants.
Over two days, 9 experts from various fields provided class lectures and practical sessions in the veterinary surgery room. We concluded the training with a site visit to a cage-free farm to perform on-farm welfare indicator assessments.
We conducted pre-, post- and 2-month-post surveys to evaluate the outcomes of the training. Additionally, a key informant survey was conducted six weeks after the ...
TL;DR
Healthier Hens (HH) aims to improve cage-free hen welfare, focusing on key issues such as keel bone fractures (KBFs). In the last 6 months, we've conducted a vet training in Kenya, found a 42% KBF prevalence, and are exploring alternative promising interventions in collaboration with the
Welfare Footprint Project, publishing transferrable findings along the way. Our staff satisfaction remains high, but concerns about operational capacity are on the rise. We're deciding on future strategies, considering funding and organizational changes. Our budget for Y3 ('23 Sep - '24 Sep) is $65k-$135k, with a $0-70k funding gap.
In this post, we share key updates, lessons learned and our plans for immediate next steps. We hope others can benefit from what we're observing and our attempts to identify promising pathways towards improved hen health and welfare. We welcome feedback from the community.
Key points
Healthier Hens (HH) continues looking for ways to address major sources of cage-free egg-laying hen pain such as keel bone fractures (KBFs) through data collection and capacity building.
Consider reading our
introductory,
6M,
1Y,
1.5Y and
2Y update posts to learn more about our background, mission and updated approach. Due to funding constraints, we had downscaled last year and continue running lean, focusing on identifying promising avenues via mini-projects before piloting anything on the ground.
Our Y3 (Sep '23 - Sep '24) budget will mainly comprise of outreach, staff, travel, and potential research activity costs. We raised $65k for this year's work.
In our ongoing scoping efforts in Kenya we conducted a KBF baseline case study, a vet training workshop on hen welfare, and are exploring a certification scheme and alternative promising interventions. We continue publishing details on how we go about seeking impact for the hens, including outcomes and lessons learned for others to incorporate in their activities.
Our mid-year staff survey revealed overall satisfaction with our culture and values but also some concerns about time commitments and task distribution. Although there is room for improvement, we all still agree that hen welfare is our priority.
Our next strategic decision-making point is in May 2024, where we'll choose a scenario from a pool ranging from shutting down to trialling a couple of interventions, depending on the final impact and cost-efficacy estimates.
Our funding gap is small and scenario-dependent. Our runway is flexible (3M max.). We will need $0-75k for the second half of 2024.
HH team preparing for the vet training, Nairobi, November, 2023.
End of vet training, Nairobi, November, 2023.
Specific HH Y2.5 updates
In-person veterinarian training (
full report here):
We partnered with the University of Nairobi and held a two-day training for vet professionals, who visit farms routinely. The main purpose of the training was to provide knowledge on proper hen welfare and grow on-farm assessment capacity among active professionals.
We had received over 70 applications and invited 22 veterinarians to attend, 18 of whom attended. Our training was approved by the Kenya Veterinary Board as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity earning the participants 16 CPD points each - a factor that significantly incentivised the participants.
Over two days, 9 experts from various fields provided class lectures and practical sessions in the veterinary surgery room. We concluded the training with a site visit to a cage-free farm to perform on-farm welfare indicator assessments.
We conducted pre-, post- and 2-month-post surveys to evaluate the outcomes of the training. Additionally, a key informant survey was conducted six weeks after the ...