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Breeding success for the Klemt family at Easter time: These Friesian chicken chicks are only a few days old. © Hackendahl, Holger
After a stroke of fate, Hainburgers Karin and Oliver Klemt discovered raising chickens as a hobby. To attract interested parties and new members, they recently offered an “open breeding” event.
Hainburg – Karin and Oliver Klemt have lost their hearts to the Friesian chickens. These days, the two journalists, who also work for our newspaper, gave an “open brood” insight into the fascinating hobby.
At the end of 2019, after a stroke of fate – Karin was suffering from cancer – the couple was looking for a leisure activity.
Rare breed
Since Karin was always enthusiastic about breeding shows, they visited the facility of the Hassia small animal breeding association in Klein-Krotzenburg. There they met groundskeeper Aniello Mauro and took over a plot. On the Internet they came across the Friesian chicken, a rare breed that the Klemts immediately liked. The origins lie in North Holland and can be traced back to the 11th century. “This breed is only kept by 60 breeders in Germany,” they researched further. They first purchased a breeding line in the color yellow and white flock from Friesian chicken breeder Leonhard Aistleitner.
Her enthusiasm for the hobby quickly found favor with the Hassia small animal breeders (KTZV). Karin Klemt has been chairwoman there since autumn 2021, and Oliver Klemt is the club’s secretary.
Hatching date
To attract interested parties and new members, they recently offered an “open breeding” event. At four meetings – during the 21-day breeding period from February 26th to the hatching date of March 17th – they explained how successful breeding takes place in the breeder’s home. From laying eggs, the start settings in the incubator, the correct incubation temperature (37.8 degrees Celsius), the right humidity, the automatic turning system in the incubator, all the way to the hatching preparations and the successful hatching of the chicks from the egg shell. “More interested parties came from appointment to appointment. During the meetings we looked into the egg with the shear lamp to see whether it was fertilized. At the next appointment, whether it has developed further,” Karin Klemt reviews the three-week breeding period.
At the fourth appointment there were eleven interested parties who watched the chicks hatch. Hatching is always the most exciting. The chick turns in the egg and uses its tooth to make a hole in the calcareous shell. “It can then take up to twelve hours for the chick to leave the eggshell on its own,” says Oliver Klemt, adding that successful breeding depends primarily on the quality of the incubator. “With our current incubator, up to 80 percent of the chicks hatch successfully.”
In the first 48 hours after hatching, the chicks do not need any food; they still live on the egg yolk that has retreated into the chick’s abdomen. After leaving the incubator, the chicks move into an enclosure with a warming plate that imitates the warmth of a hen. On their journey to becoming a chicken, the chicks are nurtured with rearing food and oatmeal. Over the course of the spring, when they are the size of a young chicken, they are placed in an aviary with the other Friesian chickens.
Still a beginner
“With our four active years in chicken breeding, we are still beginners,” says the couple, who check on their favorites every day; some of the hens and roosters have also been given names. “A visit to the aviaries is like a vacation for us. We, our children and grandchildren have fresh eggs every day. But we haven’t slaughtered any chickens yet. For us, breeding our Friesian chickens is the ideal hobby.”
This Saturday, the KTZV Hassia will be giving an insight into chicken breeding at the breeding site (Mittelweg 22) from 1 p.m., offering the dish “bacon and eggs” as in earlier times, and children can look for Easter eggs. (Holger Hackendahl)
Karin and Oliver Klemt have been breeding Friesian chickens for several years and have a lot of fun with the animals. © Hackendahl, Holger