Germany: 44.6 million laying hens produced a total of 1.2 billion eggs in August 2025
These farms housed an average of 44.6 million laying hens. In August 2025, these hens produced a total of 1.2 billion eggs intended for consumption. Barn systems were the most common housing method, with an average of 25.5 million laying hens. An average of 11.3 million laying hens were kept in free-range systems, 6.6 million in organic systems, and 1.2 million in small group housing systems.
By far the largest number of laying hens in August 2025 was in Lower Saxony with 17.3 million animals, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (4.7 million) and Bavaria (4.0 million).
The most recent survey of poultry farms and their flock sizes was conducted on March 1, 2023. The data provides an overview of the regional structure of poultry farming. As of March 1, 2023, there were a total of 42,690 farms in Germany, keeping a total of 167.3 million poultry. At that time, these farms kept 156.3 million chickens, 9.0 million turkeys, 1.6 million ducks, and 0.4 million geese.
The largest poultry population by far was in Lower Saxony (77.6 million animals), followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (19.0 million) and Bavaria (14.3 million).
694 million chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese were slaughtered in 2024
Recently, several hundred thousand animals had to be culled in several farms to contain the further spread of avian influenza. Meat from animals with confirmed cases of the disease may not be sold. In 2024, a total of 694 million poultry were slaughtered for human consumption, producing 1.6 million tons of poultry meat. Ninety percent of the slaughtered poultry were chickens intended for fattening, and 4 percent were turkeys.
Domestic meat production covers 100% of the demand for poultry meat
According to preliminary figures from the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), per capita consumption of poultry meat in Germany in 2024 was 13.6 kilograms, including 10.2 kilograms of chicken and 2.9 kilograms of turkey. This means that per capita poultry consumption in 2024 was higher than the average of the previous years, 2023 (13.1 kilograms) and 2022 (12.4 kilograms). The overall self-sufficiency rate for poultry meat in 2024 was 100%. This means that domestic production could theoretically cover the entire domestic demand for poultry meat. For chicken, the self-sufficiency rate was 105%, meaning that domestic production exceeded domestic demand. For turkey, the self-sufficiency rate was 92%, for duck 57%, and for goose 19%.
Per capita egg consumption in Germany reached a new high of 249 eggs in 2024, according to preliminary figures from the BLE ( Federal Office for Agriculture and Food). The self-sufficiency rate for eggs is 72%. This means that, theoretically, Germany has to import more than a quarter of its eggs to meet its domestic demand.
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