Lohmann Tierzucht is in the Lohmann-Wesjohann Group, a conglomerate of more than thirty companies in complementary operations and products encompassing breeding, layer pullet multiplication and egg production, animal nutrition, livestock feeds and concentrates, pharmaceuticals and poultry processing plants. The early broiler production was through a franchise agreement with Nichols International in the 50’s.
The breeding companies in the group included HyLine International Inc, H and N International Inc and Indian River. The H and N breeding operation has been relocated from Washington to Germany and the breeding of the Lohmann and H and N lines focussed on complementary products.
In 1994, Lohmann transferred the Indian River breeding stock from Nacogdoches, Texas to Cuxhaven and established Lohmann-Indian River GmbH. This gave the company two products, Lohmann Meat, a fast feathering traditional product and Indian River a slow feathering product suitable for heavier broilers. In 1997 Hillsdown Holdings Ltd, owners of Ross Breeders purchased Lohmann-Indian River. The breeding plan was that Ross would concentrate on the high yield market and Lohmann Indian River would supply integrators that require a balance between high egg production and competitive broiler growth and feed conversion.
The original company was formed in 1959 by Heinz Lohmann. In 1965 Paul-Heinz Wesjohann and his brother and Heinz Lohmann established a broiler hatchery called Weser-Ems in Richterfeld, and subsequently a broiler growing operation. This operation quickly expanded and in 1972 Weser-Ems acquired two processing plants and a fishmeal plant. In 1973 they constructed the Mega feedmill and established a layer facility for 1 million layers of which 70% were white eggers. In 1980 another broiler breeding farm and processing plant was set up at North Rhein Westphalia. In the late 80’s Lohmann had 90% of the German broiler market, LSL has 70% of the white egg market and the Brown 50% of the brown egg market.
The H and N business was purchased by Lohmann and Co AG in 1987 from Tatum Farms and the poultry facilities were purchased from Pfizer which had originally purchased H and N from Art Heisdorf in 1971.