Overview

• Two Hahneköppen associations and the City of Solingen reached a settlement at the Düsseldorf Administrative Court in June 2025 to enforce stricter ceremony guidelines.
• The agreement bars use of chickens killed solely for the ritual and permits only those slaughtered for independent welfare or medical reasons.
• The centuries-old practice switched from live to dead chickens about 200 years ago after ethical concerns prompted the change.
• North Rhine-Westphalia’s veterinary offices were notified in 2024 that ritual killings fall outside animal welfare law protections.
• Associations rejected proposals to use dummies, arguing replicas cannot match the timing of traditional decapitation.