Balticovo builds the future of cage-free egg production

Latvia - Five years ago, Balticovo made a strategic decision that would shape the future of its business. As the leading egg producer in the Baltic region, the company recognized that the market was moving towards cage-free production and decided to invest in a new generation of layer farms.

Building for long-term growth

Balticovo's investment has resulted in a fully operational cage-free production complex in Latvia. The new facility in Latvia houses approximately two million laying hens across twelve layer houses, supported by a modern egg grading and packing center.

Ten of the houses are equipped with the Bolegg Gallery aviary system, each accommodating around 160,000 hens. Every house features three production levels, with four rows of 125-metre-long Bolegg Gallery 3-tier systems per level.

The layout was designed to create an environment where birds can move naturally while remaining easy inspection and daily flock management. The Bolegg Gallery 3-tier system provides all daily needs for hens based on natural tree shape structure. Intermediate floors separate the production levels into airtight airspaces, contributing to stable climate conditions throughout the house.

A complete approach to cage-free production

For Balticovo, successful cage-free production meant more than choosing an aviary system. Every part of the production process is designed to work seamless together and can be checked and controlled locally and remotely.

To create a stable climate year-round, Balticovo selected ECO Units for heat recovery and minimum ventilation. Controlled by the Hotraco Fortica house controllers, the system recovers heat from the building to preheat incoming air, improving climate stability while reducing energy consumption.

Manure is removed continuously through manure handling systems before being transported to Balticovo's own biogas plant, where it is upgraded to biomethane and injected directly into the natural gas grid, contributing to the company's sustainability ambitions.

Four main egg conveyors transport eggs directly from the houses to the central grading facility, while Meggsius Count and Control continuously monitors egg flow and production performance. Together with the Meggsius Connect dashboard farm managers have access to real-time production and climate data across the entire complex.

Starting with the right pullet

Balticovo is convinced that good laying hen performance starts before the birds enter the production houses. All pullets are reared in the Bolegg Starter system, in which all requirements for the pullet throughout its development is adjusted to its needs and behavior. By preparing the birds from an early age for life in an aviary, Balticovo supports flock uniformity, bird welfare and a smooth transition into the laying houses. Aligning the rearing and production systems helps create consistent performance throughout the laying cycle.

Delivered as one integrated project

Realizing a project of this scale required close collaboration between Balticovo and Vencomatic Group, from design through commissioning. Vencomatic Group was responsible for the engineering, design and installation of the complete project. Throughout construction, project teams from both companies worked closely together, with daily monitoring of planning, installation quality and project progress. This integrated approach ensured efficient execution and delivered a production facility designed to support Balticovo's ambitions for many years to come.