International - Hatchery Practice - Positive Action Publications ...

MYCOTOXINS Effect on health and profitability of breeders

LIGHTING Influencing layer breeder performance

COCCIDIOSIS Latest thinking on control in commercial poultry

TURKEYS Hot weather management to improve bird comfort

TRAYS & TROLLEYS We look at options from around the world

GENETICS Creating firm foundations for the future

Volume 33 Number 5 (2019) Practical information for better breeding and hatching

International

Hatchery Practice

With successful meetings in Asia in 2016 and 2018 and highly successful global

congresses in South Africa in 2015 and Scotland in 2017, WVPA can now rightfully claim the premier position for hosting poultry health congresses.

The World Veterinary Poultry Association is a global professional association for poultry veterinarians and other avian health professionals that is run by an elected executive and holds a global congress every two years.

Its members come from all around the world and are in academia, research, government, industry and practice. The World Veterinary Poultry Association is now 60 years old and has over 2,500 members and nearly 50 national branches.

Originally WVPA focused on research and academia but, in recent years, with a reduction in veterinarians in academia and research and a rise in the number of poultry veterinarians in industry and practice, the WVPA has evolved into a platform for the exchange of information and research findings between the generators and the users of such information.

The WVPA has a good relationship with commercial companies, MSD sponsoring the Bart Rispens Award, Zoetis the Young Poultry Veterinarian Award and Boehringer Ingelheim the Innovation in Vaccination Award. The official journal of the WVPA is Avian Pathology and the Association produces its newsletter, Aerosols, twice a year.

Typically, global, regional and national branch meetings of WVPA facilitate the exchange of high quality technical information on all aspects of poultry health and diseases as well as offering a great networking forum. The WVPA uses any profits it generates to help young poultry veterinarians and health scientists attend its congresses and many benefitted from this at the recent events.

The next two WVPA events are the global congress, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 16-20th September 2019, and the Asia Meeting, which will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2020.

If you are a poultry veterinarian or poultry health researcher, WVPA membership is worthy of your consideration and full information can be found at www.wvpa.net n

fertilethoughts

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 3

Cover Picture: Creating an optimal environment (photo courtesy of Pas Reform)

PUBLISHED BY Positive Action Publications Ltd

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International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 5

worldfocusAn executive summary of key international issues

How often are key chemicals over diluted?An integral part of any disease control programme is disinfection, yet how often do you stop to check that these products are being correctly used at the right concentration? In many Asian countries two or three inches of rain can fall in a couple of hours. If this rain falls into a boot dip or vehicle dip that only contains two or three inches of disinfectant then the strength of that disinfectant will have been halved! Many disinfectants can be rapidly inactivated by dirt, yet what do you do to ensure that, for example, boots are cleaned before they go into the disinfectant footdip? We must continually remind our staff how to manage and protect the efficacy of the disinfectants that we use.

Biosecurity

Still only as good as the weakest link!Disinfectants are only as good as the people applying them. We must never forget this when we listen to the salesman’s pitch. Yes, we want to buy the best, most cost-effective product, but there is no point investing this money if our staff can not apply the product properly, at the right concentration and over the whole area to be disinfected. If we only apply the disinfectant to 90% of the surface to be disinfected, it is reasonable to expect that at least 10% of the micro-organisms will survive. So, rather than worry about which product we buy, we should first satisfy ourselves that our team is really able to use disinfectants correctly. If we do not, then we are just throwing our money away.

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Disinfectants

On visiting a breeder farm with senior staff from the company, it became apparent that they did not sign the visitors’ book. When challenged, they said it was because they were ‘from the company’. But surely these are the very people most likely to transfer disease between farms in the company. Surely a visitor is anyone entering that farm or hatchery who is not a permanent worker there. This being the case, temporary workers, managers and veterinarians must all be processed into the farm as visitors – there must be no exceptions. Then we must be sure that they go through the required entry procedure, such as showering, and that no short cuts are taken.

6 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

Mycotoxins and their effect on the health of breeders

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by moulds pre- and post-harvest and are

ubiquitous in the environment. The global presence of mycotoxins in the feed of breeders can have a detrimental effect on health and performance of both breeding poultry species and their progeny.

by Dr Wendy Wakeman, Global Technical Director,

Anpario plc, UK. www.anpario.com

The main mycotoxins commonly discussed when considering feed security are aflatoxin (Afl), Zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin (FUM), T-2 toxin (T2) and ochratoxin (OTA). These mycotoxins can impact breeder productivity in several ways, including reduced egg production, impaired egg shell quality and increased embryonic mortality.

Which mycotoxins are present in feedstuffs?

Mycotoxins rarely occur in isolation and therefore, whilst mycotoxicosis in breeders is relatively rare, breeder feed contamination with a broad spectrum of low level mycotoxins is common.

Many analyses for mycotoxins come back with values below guideline threshold levels (Table 1), however this does not give a full

Mycotoxins and egg production

Aflatoxin contamination of feed has been reported to negatively impact reproductive status as a result of poor egg production and reduced egg weights.

It has been hypothesised that this occurs as a result of aflatoxins being involved in the development of follicular atresia of the ovaries of poultry species.

This has been seen in studies whereby laying hens have been fed diets contaminated with aflatoxin and histological examination has demonstrated such an effect.

Follicular atresia is a normal process of the degeneration of ovarian follicles, however the enhancement of such a process due to the presence of aflatoxins, as has been previously reported, could attribute to reduced breeder productivity in the presence of mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins and egg quality

The breeder industry suffers huge losses from the breakages of hatching eggs. Good eggshell quality is essential in the preservation of embryos and dietary mycotoxins can lead to eggshell defects.

The egg shell is not only required in order to protect the embryo, but it also serves a physiological function in the role of gas exchange and provision of calcium for

picture. A feed containing many different toxins below threshold levels may be more problematic than a feed containing a single toxin at a high level.

Why are mycotoxins an issue for breeder enterprises?

Ensuring the best possible reproduction rates for breeders and the production of the highest quality eggs is fundamental in ensuring profitability.

Issues with egg production and quality, as well as increased susceptibility to disease, can severely affect the success of a breeder business and the presence of mycotoxins can have a detrimental impact in achieving such success.

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 7

Continued on page 9

250

200

150

100

50

0

–– A –– B –– C –– D –– E –– F –– G –– H –– I –– J –– K ..... Anpro

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Dose of binder (g/kg)

Cum

ulat

ive μg

of

myc

otox

in b

ound

(%)

Mycotoxin Clinical signs Limit (ppb)

AflatoxinImmune suppression, liver and kidney disorders, systemic

haemorrhages, leg and bone problems20*

Zearalenone Impaired fertility None given

Deoxynivalenol Reduced productivity, vomiting, diarrhoea and haemorrhage 5,000

Fumonisin Respiratory issues, pulmonary oedema and hepatic necrosis 20,000

T-2 Toxin Oral lesions, reduced productivity and feed refusal 250**

Ochratoxin Nephropathy and impaired fertility 100

Table 1. EU guidance on mycotoxin limits in complete feedstuffs for poultry species. (ppb = parts per billion) (Recommendation 2006/576/EU; *Directive 2002/32/EU; **Recommendation 2013/165/EU).

Fig. 1. Dose response of mycotoxin binders at pH 2.5.

embryonic development once yolk stores are depleted.

Previous studies have found that the presence of both DON and T-2 toxin has huge implications on egg weight and shell thickness, with 12% increases in cracked eggs being reported in eggs from hens fed rations contaminated with T-2 toxin. In addition to this, aflatoxin B1 has also been found to have an impact on egg shell quality with reduced shell weights.

It is thought that this is due to the effect that aflatoxins have on liver function, specifically the production of vitamin A.

Vitamin A is crucial in the maintenance of several organs, including the shell gland. Therefore, if the production of vitamin A is reduced due to the presence of aflatoxins, shell gland function will likely be impaired.

As well as the effect of aflatoxins on liver function, the presence of this mycotoxin is also associated with reduced levels of circulating calcium and phosphorous content in the blood of poultry species, reducing the overall egg shell quality and calcium content available to the developing embryo.

Mycotoxins and embryonic mortality

The presence of dietary mycotoxins of the Fusarium family, including DON, ZEA and T-2 toxin, are all associated with elevated embryonic mortalities when present in the feed of breeding hens particularly during early development.

Such an increase in embryonic mortality is not fully understood, but is hypothesised to be as a result of the impact previously discussed on egg shell thickness.

Eggshell thickness can affect moisture loss during the incubation period, and

hatchability can be reduced as shell quality deteriorates causing early embryonic mortality.

Mycotoxin mitigation

The negative impact of mycotoxins on breeder hen performance can be significantly reduced by the addition of an effective binder in the dietary ration.

The most widely used mycotoxin binders contain clays and/or yeast cell wall fractions.

There are many different products commercially available, all with numerous claims and studies demonstrating their efficacy in binding toxins in vitro as well as in vivo, making the choice of the most suitable binder difficult and confusing at best (Fig. 1).

These products work by simple adsorption of the mycotoxins onto sites on the binders, thus allowing the toxins to pass through the animal without causing problems.

Some products contain enzymes, that in addition to simple adsorption, biotransform

certain mycotoxins into secondary metabolites. Most mycotoxin binders are effective to some extent but it is misguided to assume that they are all the same, are equally effective and that their use can eliminate the threat posed by the ubiquitous toxins.

Generally, binders work more effectively in acidic conditions, such as that of the proximal small intestine of the birds’ gastrointestinal tract, and it is the loss of binding at higher pH levels in the lower intestine that needs careful scrutiny.

Some mycotoxin binders are better at binding certain mycotoxins than others. DON and ZEA are two mycotoxins which are notoriously difficult to bind, yet elevated levels of these mycotoxins can have a detrimental impact on breeder hen performance.

Therefore finding a binder which can successfully bind a broad spectrum of mycotoxins, helping to reduce the risks associated with multiple low level mycotoxin contaminations, is of the upmost importance (Fig. 2) in ensuring breeder hen health and performance. n

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 9

Continued from page 7

Fig. 2. Broad spectrum mycotoxin binding of Anpro Advance (from Anpario plc) in a desorption test at pH2.5 and pH6.5.

100

80

60

40

20

0

n Absorption at pH2.5 n Desorption at pH6.5 n Remaining bound (%) n Proportion retained

Zearalenone

Ochratoxin

Aflatoxin

Deoxyni-valenol

Fumonisin B1

T-2 Toxin

Myc

otox

in b

ound

(%)

The influence of lighting on layer breeder performances

The importance of good lighting is being increasingly recognised, which is well-deserved. An optimal light

climate has a major influence on layer breeder behaviour, welfare and performance.

by Kim Geurts, HATO Agricultural Lighting,

The Netherlands. www.hato.lighting

Compared to humans, poultry have relatively large eyes. Due to the location of the eyes on both sides of the head, they have narrow binocular vision and wide monocular vision.

Binocular vision enables poultry to perceive a single three-dimensional image of their surroundings. Monocular vision means that poultry can use their two eyes separately.

Since poultry are prey animals, their main focus is on monocular vision. This is a useful skill that allows them to forage and be alert for predators at the same time.

Photoreception

Poultry have a specific way of perceiving light through both the eyes and the skull.

The light that is perceived through the eyes affects behavioural responses and regulates the biorhythm. Light with an intensity of above four lux is also perceived

stimulates the release of LH and FSH. These sexual hormones play a role in both sexual maturation and stimulation.

Light perception is a species-specific biological process. This means that poultry have a different spectral sensitivity

compared to humans. They have a broader

spectral sensitivity and an additional cone, which enables them to perceive

UV-A light as well as red, blue

and green light. Due to their differing

spectral sensitivity, poultry also perceive light intensities differently. For humans, light intensity is measured in lux; for poultry, it is measured in gallilux. To find out what a chicken really sees, it is important to measure light intensity in gallilux.

Photostimulation

The number one goal for layer breeders is to produce a maximum number of eggs with high hatchability. Light has a major influence on this.

As stated before, the light that enters the skull is responsible for sexual stimulation, and thus influences egg-laying and hatchability. It is important to use lights with

through the skull. Light perceived through the skull influences both the biological clock and sexual development: l It gives a signal to the pineal gland to regulate melatonin. Melatonin plays a role in the sleep-and wake rhythm of a chicken. l It also goes to the hypothalamus and from there to the pituitary gland, which

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 11

Continued on page 12

Fig. 2. Warmwhite LED vs. human & poultry spectrum. Fig. 3. Flicker vs. flicker-free lighting.

Fig. 1. The way poultry receives light.

–– Flicker free –– Flicker

Time

Ligh

t ou

tput

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

Wavelength (nm)

Rela

tive

sen

siti

vity

Peak-peak amplitude

–– Warmwhite

–– Human

–– Poultry

a broad light spectrum in which all colours are present, since each colour has its own characteristics that influence the chickens in a particular way.

Long wavelengths are responsible for sexual stimulation, since they penetrate the skull more easily than short wavelengths. Long wavelengths represent the red part of the light spectrum, which is why it is important to use warm white lights in the layer breeder house.

Distribution

A uniform light distribution that is adjusted to the needs of the house and the poultry in it significantly influences animal welfare and performance.

With floor housing, for example, the nests should be darker. This will encourage breeders to go to the nests to lay their eggs rather than laying them on the floor.

Brighter light is important in the activity areas where they forage and have their feeding and drinking spots; it stimulates activity and prevents floor eggs.

This explains the importance of devising a tailor-made lighting plan prior to purchasing the lamps. Creating a lighting plan will give a clear view of the lux levels in each area of the house, which enables you to see whether the lamps suit the house.

Dimmability

It is important that lights can be dimmed evenly from 100-0%.

Research shows that turning lights on and off abruptly has negative effects on animal welfare and production results. One of the effects is to increase stress levels amongst the hens. It is therefore important to naturally simulate sunset and sunrise to make the chickens more at ease, increase welfare and thus improve production results.

Another important reason for being able to dim lights evenly from 100-0% is that it enables you to influence breeder behaviour. Feather pecking, increased FCR or other unwanted behaviour may arise when the layer breeders are very active. This can be prevented by dimming the lights when unwanted behaviour occurs.

When dimming, make sure that the light intensity decreases evenly without flickering.

Flicker

The use of 100% flicker-free lights is highly recommended.

Flicker, or photometric flicker, is the rapid change in the light output of a lamp.

Poultry are more sensitive to light than humans, which is why they also perceive flicker faster than we do.

12 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

Continued from page 11 Flicker has a very stressful effect on layer breeders, which can be explained by going back to the layer breeder’s roots.

In nature they were prey animals, which meant that they had to be continuously on their guard. Flickering lights give layer breeders the impression that a bird of prey is hovering overhead. This perceived threat leads to higher heart rates and increased stress levels.

Conclusion

Lighting is a very important aspect of layer breeder housing equipment. It influences behaviour in general, sexual stimulation, the biological clock and stress levels.

We always recommend carrying out detailed research to find out what lighting solutions suit you best, using a proper light scheme and making sure a lighting plan is set up before purchasing.

Make sure that the lighting meets all the criteria mentioned above. This will allow you to boost animal welfare and performance. n

Request your custom-made lighting plan at www.hato.lighting/en/lightplan

or send an email to [email protected]

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 13

Latest thinking on coccidiosis control in commercial poultry

Commercial food animal production has long since relied on the sub-therapeutic

use of antibiotics to promote health, thus aiding in efficient, profitable production. However, actions like the 2006 EU ban on antibiotics as growth promoters and the 2013 FDA announcement to phase out medically important antimicrobials in food animals for food production purposes has the potential to significantly change the landscape we have grown accustomed to over the past 30+ years.

by Derek Detzler and Glenmer Tactacan,

Hucon Inc/Jefo Nutrition. www.jefo.com

In 2004, Hucon Poultry Inc started to use coccidiosis vaccines to re-establish sensitivity to some of the anticoccidials that had lost efficacy.

Continuous vaccination, along with effective, more natural alternatives led to total withdrawal of all in feed and water medications in 2010.

Success of this program was accomplished through changes in nutrition and management. With the attitude of the North American consumer, increasing resistance issues, and few replacement antimicrobials in development, we realised that we needed to change our production model.

Deviating from the constant antibiotic regime and including such products as coccidiosis vaccines and non-antibiotic alternatives allowed us to rest the antimicrobial, while reseeding our facilities with sensitive strains of Eimeria. If successful, this would allow us to reduce our dependence on antibiotics as well as extending the life span of such products used in our feeding program.

On farm risks

Was antibiotic reduction or antibiotic-free a reasonable goal? We were aware of small flock successes, but on the other hand, we new of sizeable negative impacts on

performance and health when tried on a larger, commercial scale.

Primarily, this was related to the general well being of the animal, with respect to increased disease prevalence. With the insult of challenges normally kept in check by antibiotics, performance and profits would potentially suffer. It was entirely possible that we would end up using more antibiotics to treat than to prevent.

It was also probable that due to low disease challenge in our facilities, we would be successful initially. However, it was conceivable that in the absence of antimicrobials, we could allow disease pressure to build over consecutive flocks.

If the point of clinical disease was reached while producing antibiotic- free in our facilities, would we be able to restore the environment back to a stable, hospitable microflora, which we knew was favourable for bird health?

Experiences

In the spring of 2004, we rotated from the standard regime of rotational anticoccidial use to a cocci vaccine for three consecutive flocks. Some management and nutritional changes were to be implemented so as to have the optimum chance for success.

The first flock achieved fair performance. There was an increase of four points in average feed conversion (which was partially attributed to heat stress). During the two following grow-outs, no negative impacts on health were noted.

Our conclusions were that a hatchery administered day of age cocci vaccine was a viable alternative to ionophores or chemicals to control coccidiosis on our farms. Upon returning to a chemical in-feed anticoccidial, we observed a performance decrease in average daily gain and feed conversion.

Previous commercial experience in the USA had shown the ability to reseed the poultry house with sensitive strains of coccidiosis after three flocks. Consequently, in our

regulated ‘clean’ environment, we were not able to re-establish sensitivity in the same time frame. Essentially, we were eradicating all we were trying to seed after the flock had been shipped. We removed litter, we cleaned, as well as washed and disinfected.

The following year, we implemented the same three cycle program. We observed a small decrease in days to market and feed conversion with each successive flock of vaccination. We questioned the ability to vaccinate through the winter flocks due to the reduced amount of ventilation during this period. A decision was made to continue vaccinating, for cocci, but would be monitored on a flock by flock basis.

No problems with respect to disease or performance were observed. The performance continued to marginally increase, cresting around one year of consecutive vaccination.

We then focused our efforts on the chick’s first seven days of life. Research has shown that early post hatch management and nutrition is essential to having a robust bird through to market. We looked at bird migration in the barn, the needs of supplemental feed and water, lighting and temperatures. As well, we felt the nutritional components of our starter phase were grossly underestimated. We formulated a pre-starter to emulate the swine industry’s experience in the benefits of enriched early wean feeding.

Early gut development was crucial. The importance of having a solid feed stimulus (birds consuming feed as early as possible) was crucial. The residual yolk contains valuable biomolecules such as maternal antibodies that are better used for passive immunity than as a source of amino acids.

To find out where we were exactly, we needed to establish a baseline of performance. Automatic weigh scales were installed. The data was graphed and compared to the daily growth potential published by the bird’s genetic company.

As a result of the data obtained, we were able to make adjustments based on certain ‘stalls’ that were

seen in the growth curve. These stalls could be correlated to the absence of proper management. With changes in place, our day seven weight increased significantly, with some flocks attaining more than a 5X gain from placement weight. The early gain achieved was linearly translated into end weight. Our weights were now encroaching on genetic potential. At this point, we were confident in our bird’s ability to be more vigorous in defending against insults related to bacterial challenges due to further antibiotic removal.

Benchmarking

In 2008, we started to collect, count and graph oocysts per gram of litter in our facilities. Over time, this benchmarking allowed us to establish a defined target for cocci cycling, and through specific management techniques, we were able to produce a more uniform, predictable response to cocci vaccination.

With predictable cocci cycle in our houses, we started to look for opportunities to reduce the use of the necrotic prevention drug from our feed ration. Non-antibiotic alternatives were tested and placed into the ration at specific times where it was felt the Gram positive targeting necrotic prevention antimicrobial was not as critical.

With the most efficacious alternative, we were able to remove the necrotic prevention antimicrobial in the starter and finisher rations without sacrificing zootechnical performance. The only antimicrobial used in our rations was in the grower feeds, which was from day 14 to 28.

Experience and constant bench-marking allowed us to refine our management and nutrition, taking us further into development of an antibiotic-free regime.

Performance to date is acceptable, with an expectation of 1-2% in increased mortality and 2-6 points higher feed conversion. n

References are available from the authors on request

14 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

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thereafter. Check alarm systems, test and run automatic generators and check emergency ventilation (curtain drops etc).

EVAPORATIVE COOLING

l Test ALL fogging and evaporative cooling systems prior to use each summer. l Fogging/misting nozzles can become clogged; hoses and pipes can become cracked. Depending on the system these need to be kept clean/dry to prevent a high microbiological load being spread onto the birds when starting to use them. l Dripping nozzles will reduce mist onto birds, decrease the cooling capability of the system and create wet spots. Watch for drips and repair as needed. l Fogging systems should be run at service technician recommendations on temperature and timer settings. l Check egg storage conditions.

WATER

As water consumption doubles at temperatures above 30°C, available drinker space should be correspondingly increased in climates with high ambient temperatures. l Monitoring daily water consumption will indicate potential problems. l Header tanks should be situated within the house to ensure the water tanks are not exposed to heat from direct sunlight. l Ensure all drinkers are in working order. Adjust drinker height and water depth to ensure good access to water. l Ensure free access to cool water throughout the shed by providing sufficient drinkers for the number of birds being grown. Extra drinkers may be required in hot weather. l Cooling water to lower temperatures will also assist the bird’s thermoregulation. Ideally water should be cooled to below 25°C; levels in excess of 25°C will result in reduced water intake. Water can be cooled by flushing water lines, or altering water lines to run along the base of cool pads. l Consider using electrolytes to reduce stress on birds at key times. Look for electrolyte packs with stabilised vitamin C.

5. Hot weather managementby Aviagen Turkeys Ltd www.aviagenturkeys.com

It is important that managers reduce the effects of heat on flocks by modifying husbandry practices to improve bird comfort and reduce the impact on flock performance. Thermoregulation is the ability of birds to

maintain their body temperature across a range of environmental temperatures. Turkeys use a variety of physiological and behavioural mechanisms to maintain body temperatures (see Table 1).

• Excessive heat (>85°F/29°C) – run electrolytes during daylight hours and fresh water overnight. • Moving birds to laying farms – run electrolytes for 24 hours before moving.

WORK SCHEDULE

Avoid handling or moving birds during the warmest time of day. If required, events such as bird movements, weighing, vaccination, re-bedding/litter tilling etc should be done at cooler times of the day. Avoid birds becoming crowded.

BIRD CONDITION

Ensure bird bodyweight and condition is optimal prior to the onset of hot weather, this will ensure the hen has adequate reserves when feed intake is compromised.

This is achieved by ensuring the birds are in a positive body weight trajectory from 22 weeks to lighting up, the feed density needs to be adjusted if weight gain is not keeping to target.

EGGSHELL QUALITY

As birds hyperventilate during heat stress, there is increased loss of CO2 gas via the lungs. Lower CO2 in blood causes blood pH to elevate or become alkaline resulting in a condition called respiratory alkalosis.

Higher blood pH results in reduced calcium and carbonate ions transferred from the blood to the shell gland (uterus) resulting in thin, weak egg shells.

Increasing the amount of calcium in the diet will not correct the issue, however restoring the acid/base balance through supplementation with potassium chloride or sodium bicarbonate has been shown to improve the bird’s tolerance to heat stress.

The bird also excretes more electrolytes during hot weather, higher sodium levels may be required (increased by 0.02% to 0.03%).

The ratio of chloride to sodium should increase to between 1:1 to 1.1:1 in hot weather conditions. The target electrolyte balance (molar balance equivalence of Na++K+-Cl-) should be approximately 240-250 mEq/kg. n

Laying performance of female turkeys can be impaired by house temperatures above 20-25°C. Egg size and shell quality can also be affected by high house temperatures. Insulation to prevent solar heat gain will reduce the total amount of heat that has to be removed from the house. Evaporative cooling can be effective in reducing house temperatures in dry climates.

Elsewhere, the benefits of increasing air speed at bird level can be used to promote heat loss from the birds. Air speed can be increased by providing vertical or ceiling mounted circulatory fans. These fans can be successfully used in both fan powered and naturally ventilated houses.

Egg production is often improved when there is a difference of at least 10°C between day and night temperatures. Maintaining this temperature difference is particularly important in hot climates to help control broodiness.

In fan powered ventilation systems, this can be difficult to achieve – especially in areas where high humidity occurs at night and evaporative cooling cannot be used. In well insulated naturally ventilated houses, it is also important to ensure that the ventilation rate at night is sufficient to remove heat accumulated during the day.

The effect of high temperature can

be exacerbated by high humidity. Birds which are not used to warmer conditions may find it more difficult to adjust to hot weather. In regions where hot summers are common, bird housing should have already been designed with features to minimise the likelihood of heat stress.

VENTILATION

Increase ventilation rates and lower thermostat settings at cooler times of the day to reduce latent heat and allow birds to recover from hotter conditions. Ensure all fans are in working order, belts are tightened and fan housings are kept free of dust.

Minimise obstructions which may reduce air-flow: trim vegetation around the sheds, clean vent openings to remove dust accumulation, keep screens and light baffles clear of dust and feathers. Direct hanging fans so air flows across the birds.

Fully functioning and properly set alarm systems are essential in hot weather. Take care when altering alarm system settings to ensure they are appropriate for the difference in day and night temperatures. Separate day and night alarm settings may be required. Test life-support systems before placement and weekly

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 15

Table 1. Physiological and behavioural mechanisms.

Methods of heat loss Behavioural and physiological actions

l Radiation: Loss of heat by radiation to cooler surrounding surfaces

l Convection: Heat loss via natural rising of warm air

l Conduction: Heat transfer by contact with a cooler surface

l Evaporation: Heat loss from respiratory surfaces

l Seeking shade/cooler areas

l Reducing activity

l Panting

l Spreading feathers

l Vasodilation

l Reducing feed intake

Vital innovations in day-old chick transport

Only vital day-old chicks can deliver good results. Hatcheries aim for a maximum number of high-quality day-old chicks with strict biosecurity. They should be delivered to the farms without hidden losses during transport. Compromised transport, which results in reduced welfare and chick quality, is not necessary since Heering offers optimal transport of hatching eggs and day-old chicks worldwide.

heeringholland.com

Heering specialises in the development of technologies for innovative and sustainable transport of day-old chicks. They understand that every chick, in every crate or box, must be transported comfortably at the correct temperature and climate under a uniform air velocity. To establish an optimal climate, Heering has various air distribution designs, which automatically and efficiently regulate ventilation (CO2 controlled), heating, and cooling.

The latest development is the patented and award winning V-airflow variant (VIV Asia innovation award 2017). This design features enhanced air distribution, uniform airflow and optimum energy efficiency. This airflow variant is often selected for medium sized

day-old chick vehicles, specifically in tropical climates. The energy efficient conditioned air is supplied by a 24-volt ventilation to an overpressure chamber to secure an even climate. The V-airflow guarantees an identical volume and equal low-air speed per chick box.

The trolleys and rails ensure excellent fixation of chick boxes, and after easy removal the truck is ready for hatching egg transport.

Furthermore, biosecurity is ensured by the design, which includes a smooth floor that makes it easy to clean and disinfect.

On board disinfection and easy to clean stainless steel filters further improve hygiene.

Trucks can be followed by Heering Link that enables real-time climate monitoring. In addition to observing temperature, relative humidity, and CO2, Heering Link provides insights into geographical and technical parameters. Heering trained users are optimally prepared for their work and supported by real-time diagnosis of the installation to ensure an optimal journey.

Customers can use the obtained data to optimise their day-old chick transportation, and further improve their supply chain. The next step is the data exchange within the poultry chain – allowing hatcheries, transport, and farms to perform even better together.

Self stacking transport system leads the way Jamesway has been leading the industry with efficient egg to machine systems for many years. A case in point is their remarkable self stacking transport system (SST) which makes it easy for farms to transport eggs to the hatchery without the labour-intensive job of re-traying the eggs.

jamesway.com

The SST is a time and labour saving system which also allows operators to double the amount of eggs they could ordinarily transport with farm racks. The empty trays ‘nest’ together reducing the space required to transport them back to the egg supplier. With nesting racks, it requires only one truck to transport the empty racks of two and a half loaded trucks.

Constructed from resilient polypropylene material, the SST flat cushions eggs to protect against breakage. It is highly intolerant to micro-organisms, and easy to clean

and disinfect, reducing the potential for disease. Each flat holds 84 eggs and can be used in all Jamesway incubator racks and there is also a system developed for Chickmaster flats.

With the SST there is no need to purchase and dispose of traditionally used cardboard boxes. Fewer trucks, reduced transportation cost and, less breakage add up to increased profit.

The SST has been used by satisfied customers for many years and, like all Jamesway products, it is designed to last.

l Turning in the storage room with Jamesway racks: The latest studies have shown improved hatch results when eggs in storage are turned even before they are loaded into the incubator. Jamesway racks allow for this to be accomplished easily, with systems you already possess.

Each rack has its own air cylinder operated turning system, an effective system because a turn failure on one rack does not mean

that the entire room is affected, unlike racks that are connected to a

single unified turning system. That same innovative

design allows you to easily connect the racks

to an air supply in the storage room, implement

turning and, when it is time to move to the incubator, just

unplug the air supply and reconnect inside the machine.

Protecting your eggs, saving money and increasing productivity

is all part of Jamesway’s ‘Worry Free Hatchery’.

16 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

Providing a consistently stable internal environment Unlike all other major incubator manufacturers EmTech use individual trolley mounted 24Vdc actuators capable of 1,000N of operating force to turn the eggs.

emtech-systems.com

This, and other features listed below, has many advantages over the more usual array of communal trolley turning systems on the market today. l If an actuator fails it can be easily and cheaply replaced without incurring costly machine down time. l The correct turning angle is always delivered unlike older communal systems. l Trolleys are very easy to keep clean and being IP66 rated they are easily capable of withstanding pressure washing and trolley washers. l In the case of a failure Trolley ID exactly identifies which trolley has failed to turn, so no need for incubator viewing windows to check if something is wrong. l All EmTech trolleys are shipped fully welded, assembled and tested by experts in a clean factory environment. Flat packed trolleys may save on container space but are

often built by hired labour on site in less than ideal conditions, often leading to reliability issues. l EmTech trolleys will perform well even on uneven floors. l All trolleys have a lightweight aluminium frame and turning mechanism. l EmTech trolleys do not require routine PAT testing. l Trolleys are available for almost all tray types and sizes and often available with stack heights of 16, 17 or 18 trays. l Individual trolley actuators make it simple to install Egg Store Egg Turning Stations, an important advantage especially when eggs are stored for long periods.

Another major advantage of individual trolley mounted turning actuators is that the incubator cabinet does not require wall and ceiling supports to cope with the immense pressure exerted throughout the incubator cabinet in communal systems to turn the eggs.

Wall and ceiling supports are usually extruded steel or aluminium sections inserted between every wall and ceiling panel.

After exhaustive research, using infrared imaging, EmTech have proved that these supports act as a conduit for ‘thermal leakage’ causing unwanted localised condensation, hot and cold spots and energy losses. Often this is the reason for poor and prolonged hatches.

Imagine the scenario of two adjacent machines, one just loaded with cool endothermic eggs and the other full of exothermic eggs close to transfer.

The leakage of heat through the metal supports will disrupt the controlled environment within each setter causing the incubator to call for heating or cooling when it should not be required and ultimately resulting in a prolonged hatch window and poorly conditioned chicks.

EmTech firmly believe that the consistently stable internal environment always achieved in their systems is due in no small part to the lack of metal support conduits.

That is why they can guarantee a temperature bandwidth of just 0.6°C within their incubators and why the ‘EmTech Effect’ has gained so many supporters in hatcheries around the world.

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 17

Promoting the highest number of best quality chicks

Pas Reform’s complete range of trolleys, setter trays and hatcher baskets (including both US and European sizes) offer unrivalled performance in the modern hatchery.

They are designed to create an optimal environment for the growing embryo, to promote the highest number of best quality chicks, turkey poults or ducklings.

pasreform.com

l Setter trolley for optimal incubation results and smooth mechanical turning Pas Reform provides highly manoeuvrable setter trolleys with four large diameter swivel castors for ease of movement and the smooth transportation of valuable hatching eggs. With ergonomically designed handle bar for the easy loading and unloading of the incubator. Designed for optimal mechanical turning and suitable for automatic loading and unloading of setter trays. l Setter tray for uniform heat and humidity distribution Designed to cradle hatching eggs of any size safely, the open construction of Pas Reform’s setter trays is proven to deliver uniform airflow during incubation. This helps to create an optimal

environment for the growing embryos, promoting day old chicks of the highest quality.

Stable, self-centring egg positioning provides a secure target for accurate in-ovo vaccination. The range of capacities includes SmartTray 162, for the highest number of hatching eggs/m2 in the setter. l Hatcher basket for optimal air flow and hatching results Pas Reform hatcher baskets have been designed specifically to optimise hatchability and uniformity, by delivering a constant air flow over the eggs in the hatcher to improve the transfer of heat from the hatching eggs to the air.

With its unique design, the bottom of the basket also limits the risk of leg spreading for the day old chicks. Optimally designed for easy manual and automatic stacking. Incorporates (optional) Microban antimicrobial protection to reduce the risk of cross contamination from food poisoning bacteria by up to 99.9%. l SmartStart hatcher basket to give day old chicks free access to feed with water The SmartStart hatcher basket gives day-old chicks free access to feed with water, by means of uniquely designed feeding balconies on the exterior of the hatcher basket.

Providing more space, with a bottom design that concentrates eggs into the centre of the basket, like a natural bird nest. The resulting contact between eggs

enhances communication between hatching embryos, to effectively synchronise hatching and narrow the hatch window. Designed for easy manual and automatic stacking.

trays & trolleys

The latest ’EuroTech’ 150 trolley for the standard 150 egg tray from EmTech.

18 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

Egg trays and baskets suitable for all types of poultry Victoria provide cellular egg trays made of high-density plastic that is resistant to heat and frequent washing. The trays are suitable for all types of eggs.

incubatricivictoria.com

The special materials used guarantee integrity and practical use, thanks to their lightness. They are

also excellent for collecting eggs directly from the poultry house and can achieve significant labour savings.

Victoria also provide specially designed egg trays and baskets for incubating ostrich eggs and they have an interesting hatching basket for game birds with a removable bottom of perforated sheet metal to prevent injury to the chicks’ legs.Reducing costs by improving

efficiency and effectiveness

Building costs are a major part of hatchery investments. Therefore it is important to work effectively and to set up your hatchery as efficiently as possible.

hatchtech.com

This is the reason why HatchTech has developed the HT88 Setter Trolley 8360. It supports an optimal incubation process and lets you work more efficiently and effectively. Moreover it can deliver an outstanding space-saving efficiency that has an impact on your bottom-line.

The HT88 Setter Trolley 8360 is designed to carry 8,360 eggs. This increases your capacity with up to 18.8% more egg places per square meter, which is more than any other single-stage setter trolley on the market today. Each Setter Trolley has its own motor, which turns the eggs to the optimal angle required for good incubation. All the individual turning motors are connected to the MicroClimer Controller. Here, the

turning position of each trolley is shown. This allows you to easily monitor the running mechanism without having to enter the incubator.

Using the HT88 Setter Trolley 8360 together with the HatchTech 88 Setter Tray and HatchTech MicroClimer Setter will provide the embryos with the perfect climate for their optimal development.

The MicroClimer Setter contains a patented laminar airflow technology that regulates the climate in the setter. The setter trolleys are turning to the opposite of each other so the airflow can reach each setter trolley with the same speed and temperature. Add to this the unique honeycomb structure and the maximised surface area of the eggs in the HT88 Setter Tray, and every single egg is provided with the ideal temperature.

Worldwide, HatchTech customers are using the HatchTech 88 Setter Trolley 8360 to their full satisfaction seeing the impact on their building footprint and ROI.

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 19

trays & trolleys

Innovations in cleaning and disinfection

The production of healthy chicks depends on the maintenance of health and hygiene throughout the entire production system. Although hygiene in hatcheries is always taken very seriously, poor hygiene in chick transportation is often ignored.

veit.cz

Veit engineers realised this fact and designed a truck, which can be cleaned and disinfected easily and without any compromises. This gives hatchery managers all over the world a peace of mind.

The key features include: l Trucks are specially designed for daily cleaning. All parts are made of aluminum, plastic or stainless steel, so they do not corrode. l All parts of the truck are easily accessible for cleaning. Parts which can not be cleaned properly are not suitable for day-old chick transportation. l Cleaning is easy and fast. Some drivers dislike cleaning and if it is not

comfortable, they might clean properly for a month or two, but then stop doing it. This is human nature. l The floor is completely flat, without any channels or heavy covers. Any cover that is heavy for the driver means that it will not be lifted and cleaned. Air channels in the floor are then a source of infections. l All airflow channels can be easily opened by hand, without any tool. If a tool is needed, the driver could lose it and therefore miss cleaning the channels. l Fans are waterproof and can be cleaned by high pressure water. The fans are a part of the ventilation system and need to be easily accessible and cleaned as well. l Radiator ensuring heating or cooling of air is easily accessible for cleaning. l Air filters have replaceable fabric, so each delivery starts with new fabric. Infection often hides in the filters, so it is safer to always use

new fabric for each delivery that is cheap to replace. l Automatic disinfection systems of the cargo area and the truck’s wheels further increase safety.

Easy accessibility for cleaning will minimise time needed to clean the truck and will lead to noticeable savings. Experience from the field shows that Veit trucks can be cleaned 30 minutes faster. This means 10 hours saved every month – and time is money!

Trays, baskets and trolleys for optimum hatchery efficiency

Good trays, baskets and trolleys are a major prerequisite for an efficient hatchery workflow. They are subject to frequent, rough handling and need to be robust and easy to handle and clean. Petersime offers a complete range of trays, baskets, trolleys and a solution for egg transport.

petersime.com

l Trays The Petersime setter trays are compatible with all Petersime incubators. The standard setter tray holds 150 chicken eggs. Models for turkey and duck eggs are also available, with capacities of 126 or 63 eggs. All Petersime setter trays hold both small and large eggs.

For larger turkey eggs, Petersime recently introduced the new 60XL tray with larger egg pockets due to the honeycomb structure. The tray offers a capacity of 60 turkey (or duck) eggs and is available in a standard and a stackable version.

The High Density tray for 84 chicken eggs also benefits from the honeycomb structure and can hold 12% more eggs on the same surface. These trays are to be used with the BioStreamer HD incubators, especially engineered for this higher capacity.

They are also available in a standard and a stackable version.

l Hatcher baskets and chick boxes Petersime’s baskets and boxes allow maximum air flow, even when stacked. The choice of materials makes them extremely suitable for industrial washing machines, with rounded ventilation holes for easy cleaning. The depth of the stacked baskets provides maximum chick comfort.

Petersime’s universal chick

basket serves both as a hatcher basket and as a transportation box.

Therefore, only one washing lane is required, which saves substantial space and lowers the investment cost.

l Setter, hatcher and farm trolleys Trolleys are subject to rough handling. Petersime have equipped their trolleys with a solidly welded frame and a protective anti-corrosion coating, so they last a lifetime.

The trolleys are solid, yet ergonomic and easy to manoeuvre. They are mounted on four large wheels, two of which are swivel wheels with brakes.

l Egg transport Petersime offers a system for egg transport from the breeder farms to

the hatchery. It consists of a plastic pallet and

intermediate connectors on which

Petersime HD trays can

be stacked. One pallet can hold up

to 6,720 eggs. There is no need for

extra straps or shrink wrap during transport

because the system is already solid and stable.

Because the collection of the eggs is immediately done on the setter trays, there is no need for transport of heavy setter and farm trolleys from and to the farms.

20 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 21

Two critical points in the rearing of premium pullets

Achieving good uniformity is not the biggest challenge during the rearing period of

Hubbard Premium breeder females. As they take a fairly long time to clean-up the feeders, this allows for 85% uniformity to be exceeded from an early age and to be maintained throughout the rearing period.

by Customer Service Team, Hubbard, France.

www.hubbardbreeders.com

The most critical points in rearing are focusing on the natural early sexual maturity of the Hubbard Premium females. If the pullets come into lay too early, they are not able to ingest the amount of feed required to support their needs for production. This leads to a risk of broodiness and a drop in production after peak as well as reduced egg weights for several weeks.

The main objectives are to develop a good frame size during the first weeks, then to encourage the pullets to consume larger amounts of feed and finally to adjust the lighting programme to delay the onset of lay. It is also important to avoid any stimulation through nutrition between 16 weeks of age and 5% of lay. The priorities in the rearing phase can therefore be grouped into two critical points:

Development of the pullets’ appetite

Achieving bodyweight targets in the first 10 weeks: Rearing techniques can be introduced as soon as the chicks arrive in order to stimulate feed consumption and thus promote weight gain from the first few days of life. l The use of an intermittent lighting programme until the age of 3-4 weeks (for example, between Day 0 and Day 7: 2 hours 30 minutes of light and 30 minutes of dark; to be adjusted depending on flock behaviour) stimulates the birds’ activity and therefore their feed intake.

l The use of a pre-starter feed for the first 4-5 weeks of life (2,850Kcal/kg and 19% crude protein) also promotes weight gain right from the early weeks. A starter feed (2,750Kcal/kg and 18-19% crude protein) can then be used up to eight weeks of age depending on the weight of the females.

Feed and feeding technique: l In terms of appetite, Premium breeder females are closer to laying hens than to conventional breeding stock. Feed clean-up time can easily exceed four hours in the rearing house. This therefore calls for good feed presentation, especially for the starter crumb (no fine particles). l Development of the pullet’s crop capacity is the main key to a good appetite in the production phase, especially as production increases.

The use of a 5/7 feeding programme from six weeks of age (to be adjusted depending on clean-up time and subject to applicable legislation) is essential to increase the pullet’s eating capacity. l In addition, switching to a stronger grower energy-reduced feed (2,650Kcal/kg) allows the quantity of feed to be increased

while maintaining the birds’ physiological appetite. The 100Kcal/ kg reduction between starter and grower diets (at around 8-9 weeks) allows the feed quantity to be increased by 3g (in the case of a 55g ration) for the same calorie intake. l For this transition to succeed, frame development should start within the first four weeks of life (refer to fasted bodyweights according to the breeder performance objectives, available on www.hubbardbreeders.com).

Management of onset of lay in the rearing house

From 11 weeks of age, growth control should be stepped up to manage the females’ physiological development and thus minimise stimulation of the pullets’ sexual maturity related to bodyweight. To support the growth profile, a number of techniques can be employed to control the age at which pullets come into lay: l The use of a slow step-down light programme for the breeder females only (see examples in Table 1) delays the start of sexual development in pullets. l Use of a pre-lay feed after transfer only (around 20 weeks of age) and up to 1% daily lay. l Introduction of light stimulation (+1 hour/week) after 154 days. The light intensity will need to be adjusted depending on flock behaviour, while maintaining a minimum of 60 lux.

Of course, this article only explains a general approach. The Hubbard Technical Manager in your area will be able to tailor these techniques more closely to the practical situation of each customer. n

Table 1. Example of a slow step-down light programme for for Hubbard JA57 and JA87 females.

Age (days)

Duration of light (hours) Light intensity (lux)Hubbard JA57 females Hubbard JA87 females

0 24 24 60

1 22 22 60

2 22 22 60

3 20 20

To be adjusted

depending on

behaviour and weight

gain

4 20 20

5 18 18

6 18 18

7 17 17

8 17 17

9 17 17

10-14 16 hours 30 minutes 16

15-28 16 15 hours 30 minutes

29-35 15 hours 30 minutes 15

36-42 15 14 5-10

43-49 14 hours 30 minutes 13 5-10

50-56 14 12 5-10

57-63 13 hours 30 minutes 11 5-10

64-70 13 10 5-10

71-77 12 hours 30 minutes – 5-10

78-84 12 – 5-10

22 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

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Mycotoxins could be reducing the profitability of your breeders

Mycotoxins are known to contaminate feedstuffs worldwide and can cause a variety of

symptoms in poultry. Responses to mycotoxin consumption can include changes in performance and efficiency, alterations of the intestinal structure and its functions, damage to internal organs, disruption of endocrine system signalling and modification of the immune system.

by Dr Alexandra Weaver, Global Mycotoxin

Management Team, Alltech. www.knowmycotoxins.com

Even lower levels of mycotoxins can impact poultry, resulting in decreased performance, increased disease occurrence and/or an increase in intestinal pathogens.

When mycotoxins are consumed, the gastrointestinal tract is one of the first organs impacted. Here, mycotoxins can be absorbed and transferred to the rest of the body, or they can directly affect the epithelial cells that result in inflammation, necrosis and even changes to gut-level immune responses. As a result of these changes to intestinal structure and function, mycotoxins can also increase the occurrence and severity of intestinal pathogens.

Research shows that when broiler breeders consume Fusarium mycotoxins, their intestinal immune response is suppressed.

If mycotoxin consumption occurs during

Mycosorb, which reduced the early embryonic mortality rate to 2%. The negative changes in shell thickness and embryonic mortality in breeders who consumed mycotoxins decreased their overall hatchability rate by 10%. Again, however, this improved when Mycosorb was included, leading to a 30% increase in hatchability rates.

Management of mycotoxin risk important to reduce negative effects on breeders

Given that mycotoxins can affect the performance and health of the poultry breeder, it is clear that they can also affect farm profitability. The cost of mycotoxins can add up over time, such as when they change intestinal structure or immunity, and these costs may be more noticeable if performance is reduced, impacting overall financial productivity.

A broad range of preventative measures may be required to minimise the risk of mycotoxins. Management methods can be implemented at the field, feed or farm level to reduce the overall risk. Techniques such as properly drying grains, providing adequate storage, feed mill management and including a broad-spectrum mycotoxin binder can be valuable methods for reducing the overall risk to the bird. n

References are available from the author on request

coccidial challenges with pathogens such as Eimeria maxima, immune system suppression could lead to an even greater increase of this pathogenic activity.

Furthermore, consumption of Fusarium mycotoxins at levels too minimal to impact performance still increased the intestinal damage in breeders, leading to poor recovery from enteric coccidial infection.

However, when breeders consumed Mycosorb (from Alltech) during the mycotoxin challenge, the birds displayed immunity and health levels similar to those of the control birds not experiencing a mycotoxin challenge.

Mycotoxin challenges to intestinal, immune and organ systems that become chronic can result in decreased overall breeder performance and productivity. Besides these impacts on the intestinal and immune systems, the reproductive performance of breeders can be altered by mycotoxin consumption.

Research from University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada, showed that breeders consuming Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), had significantly reduced eggshell thickness – but that this reduced thickness was prevented by supplementing the diet with Mycosorb, a polymeric glucomannan mycotoxin adsorbent. Breeders consuming mycotoxins also experienced a 22% rate of early embryonic mortality (P<0.05), significantly more than the 5% rate of early embryonic mortality in the control eggs. This effect, however, was mitigated in birds consuming

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 23

Fig. 1. Early embryonic mortality of eggs from hens consuming diets with Fusarium mycotoxins with or without 0.2% Mycosorb from Alltech Inc (Results adapted from Yegani et al).

Fig. 2. Hatchability rates of eggs from hens consuming diets with Fusarium mycotoxins with or without 0.2% Mycosorb from Alltech Inc (Results adapted from Yegani et al., 2006).

25

20

15

10

5

0Control

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins + Mycosorb

Earl

y em

bryo

nic

mor

talit

y (%

)

100

80

60

40

20

0Control

Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins + Mycosorb

Hat

chab

ility

(%)

-10.2%+29.8%

24 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 25

Firm foundations for the future – the role of genetics

It is estimated that by 2050 there will be about 9.8 billion mouths on the planet to feed (United

Nations, 2017 Revision). The majority of the additional population will be in emerging economies in Asia, Latin America and Africa. As these economies develop, the percentage of the population entering the middle class will also increase.

by Dominic Elfick, International Product Manager,

Aviagen. www.aviagen.com

It is anticipated that the percentage of the world population in the middle classes will increase by approximately half between 2015 and 2030 to 64% of the global population.

The spending power of these people will almost double from $35 trillion to $64 trillion. The vast majority of this emerging middle class will come from Asia.

As income increases, the absolute spend on food increases, with meat reaching almost a quarter of all food spend when income level exceeds about $5 per day. The increase in poultry consumption between 2017 and 2027 will be in the region of 19 million metric tonnes (MT), of which just over 10 million MT will be consumed within Asia.

While consumption, and therefore production, is expected to substantially increase over the next 10-30 years, the resources available to support this growth are dwindling on a per capita basis. It is anticipated that after 2035 no additional arable land will be available for cultivation, due to increased urbanisation, desertification, salt build up and erosion.

The availability of potable water will become more variable between world regions, with typically the dry parts becoming drier and the wet parts wetter, both bringing their specific challenges. In many respects, this scenario would be expected to drive higher output per unit of area, targeting increased yields through modern farming and agriculture systems. However, at the same time

there is an evolving consumer, increasingly concerned about a wide range of food product attributes.

These can include health perceptions; ‘natural’ foods; ‘freedom from’ products; welfare concerns; or sustainability issues, which are often combined in a ‘good-feeling-food-box’. Many of these drivers lead to a demand for an increased variety of products and production methods.

Why poultry meat?

OECD/FAO estimated that chicken took over from pork as the most consumed terrestrial species in 2008. Contrary to other meats, poultry meat has no religious boundaries and except for dietary preferences (vegetarianism or veganism) consumption is expected to grow regardless of region and income level.

Chicken is perceived as a healthy (low fat, high protein) option, although this is highly dependent on the method of preparation (USDA, 2019). Entry into the poultry market can be a relatively low capital investment endeavour for investors and the production systems are quite straightforward to scale, compared to other species.

Add the short cycle time for return on investment along with relatively small land footprint for production facilities and poultry starts to look very attractive as an investment vehicle. Broiler chickens are the most efficient and environmentally sustainable of the terrestrial farmed species giving it a crucial role in satisfying the animal protein needs of a growing global population. Even in developed markets, the low price of chicken remains a significant driver of consumption.

Broiler meat can be easily enhanced by further processing, addition of flavourings and inclusion into high-end and/or convenient product offerings. Equally, the production system (conventional,

free range, organic), including feed type or ingredient (Omega 3 enriched) can add substantial value to the product offering.

This means that chicken is not just an entry level product but covers the whole span of the socio-economic spectrum.

Poultry performance over time

The industrialised poultry industry is arguably about 100 years old, but the major changes started from around the mid-1950s with the introduction of integrations and the emergence of sophisticated breeding programs based on breed specialisation and quantitative genetics.

A number of scientific studies have been published looking at the changes in performance between the 1950s and more modern birds.

A great deal of industry data, especially from the USA and Canada, is also available for review. All of these sources demonstrate the massive impact that the breeding

companies have had on performance over time.

Estimates are in the order of doubling growth rate, reducing FCR by around 70%, increasing breast yield by a magnitude of 4x, reducing mortality and increasing chick output by around 50%.

In 1994, Havenstein estimated that genetics had contributed 80-90% of the improvements in bird performance at that time, with nutrition having a smaller impact. This work shows the huge impact of genetics over time.

On the other hand, factors other than genetics contribute between 50-95% of the variation in performance.

So, while genetics can have a long-term cumulative effect, management can be more critical in enabling the expression of genetic potential on a day-to-day basis.

Current challenges for the global broiler industry

While bird performance and industry scale has dramatically increased over the last 70 years or so, access to an appropriately sized pool of management talent has not. Post baby-boomers, there has been a great deal of difficulty attracting skilled managers into the industry, as it is generally perceived in a somewhat negative light.

Investments in in-house training and development are therefore of growing importance. While there have been huge strides in technology in both house and equipment design, these currently struggle to match the ability of a skilled animal husbandry expert. Given the long term nature of depreciation of housing stock, many sheds built 20-30 years ago remain in operation.

While state of the art when they were designed and built, many are now below the requirements for the modern bird. When farms are built, attempts are usually made to make

Continued on page 27

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 27

Continued from page 25them relatively remote, in order to promote biosecurity. This is becoming more challenging as population centres expand and encompass farms. Finding areas where people are prepared to tolerate new build poultry farms is also becoming more challenging.

This can put additional disease pressure onto areas of high bird (and human) population. The use of vaccines can result in the development of new strains of viruses and overuse of medications in certain world areas can lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria. These highlight the need to educate and drive home the need for consistently excellent biosecurity and management.

Selection for the future

Selection objectives have broadened and evolved over time, as certain parameters increase in importance with the evolution of the global broiler marketplace. More and more biological attributes of the bird are simultaneously studied within the breeding goal, to achieve a holistic improvement of the modern bird.

Today, Aviagen selects for over 50 traits in each of its selection lines, and broadly selection efforts are split equally between fitness and welfare traits, reproductive traits and broiler performance/sustainability traits.

Poultry breeders now have a raft of tools available to improve not only biological efficiency and yield, but also fitness and welfare traits, such as skeletal integrity, footpad dermatitis, hock burn, walking ability and cardiovascular fitness.

Peer reviewed studies, along with field datasets, demonstrate the improvement in traits such as livability, leg health, walking ability and ascites resistance. These traits are crucial to the continued success of the breeding companies, both from a financial sense but more importantly, from the point of view of a social license to operate.

As an example, many years ago now, one British supermarket chain refused to utilise the product from a particular breeding company due to the perception of poor leg health in their products. I am pleased to say that this situation no longer exists!

Reproductive success is, and will continue to be, a significant financial driver within the industry. By increasing chick output we reduce the resources, including land, feed, medications, water, transport and so on, required on a per chick basis.

This directly contributes to the bottom line sustainability of the industry. Increasing demand for day-old broilers, with little to no increase in inputs for breeders, is the very essence of sustainability. Selection

for modern broiler breeders not only include egg production but also improvement of hatchability and fertility, in particular their persistency. In addition, optimal embryo development is targeted through the improvement of external and internal egg quality traits.

Data collection to allow selection of live performance traits, happens not only under the very best of conditions on the biosecure pedigree farms but also under lower-end, commercial conditions on ‘sib test farms’.

Sib test farms are operations where brothers and sisters (siblings) of pedigree birds are held under a wide range of environmental challenges (lower density nutrition, sub-optimal management techniques, gut and immune challenges).

All of this is designed to allow identification of families that perform under optimal and sub-optimal conditions and to improve the overall robustness and environmental adaptability of the populations.

Specific challenges to mimic Asian or African conditions including hot and humid environments and temperature fluctuations (differences between day and night temperatures) have been added to these testing facilities. While growth rate remains an important factor for much of the world, improving feed conversion ratio (FCR) tends to have the greatest impact on both sustainability and financial return.

The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to measure feed, and more recently water, intake on individuals in a commercial like environment has enabled a quantum shift in the way in which birds are selected for biological efficiency, allowing greater genetic progress than ever before.

It is estimated that two points (0.02) per year improvement in FCR in Asia will reduce the feed intake of the broiler industry in the region by 1.35 million MT per year, freeing up 227,000 hectares of arable land and reducing total water usage by 5.5 trillion litres. This is broadly equivalent to a 1.5-2.0% reduction in feed usage, at a time when the market is increasing with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.5-3.0%. Bear in mind that these improvements are cumulative.

Selection for saleable meat yield also has a direct impact on sustainability. In addition to yield recorded in processing plants, over time we have developed a range of tools to predict yield in live birds including confirmation scoring, ultrasound measurements and more recently computed tomography (CT) scanning.

CT allows a 3-D visualisation of the live selection candidate and to ‘virtually’ cut it into portions, with

prediction accuracies above 95%. The implementation of CT also allows for novel ways of assessing leg health through the identification of microscopic tibial dyschondro-plasia (TD) lesions. This allows a greater accuracy than previous x-ray technologies and gives the ability to select for sub-clinical leg health issues.

Recent technological advances

Genomics involves the study of the DNA and its function. In an animal breeding context, genomic information is used to predict genetic values with greater accuracy by combining it with performance and pedigree information. The use of genomic information for selection in broiler chickens is a reality and Aviagen was the first poultry breeding company to incorporate genomics information in routine selections.

Genomics information can be used to increase accuracy of selection in all traits in the breeding goal, but it is especially important in traits in which there is limited information at the time of selection, for example sex-limited traits like egg production.

Aviagen results indicate that genomics can increase selection accuracies by 20% to 50%.

There is no doubt that genomics information will contribute significantly to genetic potential, which will be expressed in the wide range of production environments worldwide. Along with the development of the genomics-based selections, other tools centred around the same technology have been developed. One of these is the paternity testing of chicks.

This allows for large numbers of males to be placed with a flock of females in a more commercial set up than previous natural mating technologies permitted. Not only does this allow for the number of chicks that each male produces to be calculated but it also permits the revealing of the impact of social networks and behaviour on mating success and flock fertility.

The responsibility of the breeding companies

There is a responsibility to ensure that breeding companies can consistently continue to supply a high value, quality product, which fulfils the demands of consumers and processors alike. It is crucial that multiple breeding bases are maintained in more than just one country as a contingency, in order to protect supply in the event of unforeseeable circumstances.

Biosecurity and the maintenance of the highest health status,

including but not limited to the accreditation of biosecurity compartments, give additional flexibility for selection and supply in times of notifiable diseases.

To this end, breeders must ensure the compartment status of their breeding programs is certified by high level audits from the appropriate authorities.

Receiving countries should understand the depth of the provided biosecurity and accept the concepts of compartmentalisation or regionalisation/zoning, and the breeding stock coming from these compartments or regions.

There must be a continued focus on welfare and sustainability – welfare and sustainability are not contrary to good business, they contribute to it. They give the industry the social license to operate and ensures that we maintain our industry for our children and grandchildren. A very wide pool of genetic material needs to be maintained, in order to give flexibility for changing market conditions and provide options for existing and upcoming production initiatives for any foreseeable future.

Within the Aviagen stable of lines there are strains that have not been selected since the 1970s, along with coloured options which grow at less than 35g per day, all the way through to the most rapidly developing, high yield lines for inclusion in products grown to over 4kg, for whole bird deboning.

This range of options allows the development of a broad portfolio to address the needs of the most discerning processor and end-user for the near future and beyond. Communication and transparency, liaising with all stakeholders in the industry to explain how modern poultry breeding works and incorporate feedback from all tiers in the industry, research organisations, NGOs, retailers and consumers, will be the new normal. This should be achieved in a coordinated manner both regionally and globally.

Finally, there is a requirement to continue to invest heavily in research and development, both in breeding programs and the industry as a whole. These can involve capital projects to improve the environment on farm, novel equipment, collaboration with institutions of higher education and development of in house systems.

All of which will ensure that the breeding companies of today, and the industries they serve, can continue to play a leading role in feeding future generations, by providing quality broiler breeding stock and producing a healthy and sustainable source of protein. n

References are available from the author on request

28 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

hatchery news from around the world

Stop stress before it strikes Heat stress is a major welfare problem in the poultry industry

leading to huge economic losses every year, because of high mortality and decreased performance.

High temperatures, especially when coupled with high humidity, imposes severe stress on birds and leads to reduced performance.

In the past few decades, a number of Ayurvedic herbal immuno-modulators and antistressors have been extensively used in poultry to alleviate the negative effects of high environmental temperatures.

Supplementation of herbal plant extracts, especially Andrographics paniculata and Tinospora cordifolia

have been used to improve broiler performance. Polyherbal products containing different immuno-modulators (Withania somnifera), antistressors (Phyllanthus emblica, Mangifera indica) and adoptogenic (Ocimumsanctum) herbs have been used to enhance performance and decrease heat stress during the summer season.

The antistress and adaptogenic activity of these plants are proved and well documented through a series of experiments in animal models of stress, both naturally occurring and contrived in the laboratory.

The immunomodulatory properties coupled with antistress and adaptogenic activities of these medicinal plants have been utilised by Ayurvet in formulating Stresroak, to fight stress and to counteract stress-induced changes in poultry without compromising performance and productivity.

ayurvet.com

Cobb shares expertise

Over 50 poultry professionals from throughout the world recently descended on northwest Arkansas for Cobb-Vantress’ exclusive World Technical School. Hosted at Cobb’s global headquarters in Siloam Springs, the two-week program covered a broad range of industry-relevant topics – from genetics to nutrition to housing. This year marked the 20th year of the program.

Cobb’s World Technical School provides customers and key partners with an opportunity to learn and connect with Cobb’s global poultry experts. The selective, two-week program couples access to industry leaders with hands-on learning from specialists in various sectors.

Attendees, who travelled from 28 different countries for the training, were also able to build relationships with poultry industry peers who will continue to help them grow in their careers.

“The World Technical School is a

truly unique experience for our customers,” Cody Polley, co-director of the Cobb World Technical Support Team, told International Hatchery Practice. “We teach the latest techniques and technology in the poultry industry and offer advice and answer questions. The students then go back to their companies in locations all over the world to share what they have learned.”

cobb-vantress.com

Latest international installations

Poland’s Cedrob Inc is constructing a new hatchery in Kosobudy in the east-central region of the country which will eventually hatch over five million chicks per week. The hatchery features Jamesway’s single-

stage equipment with 120 Platinum setters and 72 Platinum hatchers.

Cedrob is a multi-family owned business with headquarters in Ciechanow, Poland, and is one of the largest poultry producers in the country. Andrzej Gozdzikowski, Cedrob’s President, said the choice to use Jamesway machines for his third hatchery was based on confidence in the equipment and the service.

In Bogra, Bangladesh, the Tamim Hatchery features 12 G60 setters and 4 G30 hatchers. This is the first phase of a project which will eventually double the number of machines. The satisfied owners claim 99.6% saleable ‘A’ grade chicks and look forward to the increased capacity when phase two is completed. They chose Jamesway machines because they are so easy to use and maintain.

jamesway.com

Irvine’s, aspiring to be the leading and most trusted chicken company in Sub-Saharan Africa, has chosen Petersime for their new single-stage hatchery project in Dar Es Salaam,

Tanzania. This is one of many projects by the Irvine’s Group, purposefully changing lives in Africa by producing an affordable source of protein. The first results in the new hatchery are great with 90.04% hatchability. The new hatchery is equipped with Petersime BioStreamer HD incubators, single-stage setters with Operational Excellence Technology, with a capacity of 64,512 chicken eggs each, and stackable setter trays to ease the egg handling process.

petersime.com

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 29

CP China chooses Petersime

CP China are to build a new modern broiler hatchery with a yearly capacity of 60 million in Gucheng county, Hengshui city, in the Hebei province, China.

In cooperation with Petersime, the CP Hengshui project will have a total of 54 BioStreamer 24S OX setters and BioStreamer 8H OX hatchers and be fully equipped with a Petersime climate control system and the Eagle Eye management system. The setters and hatchers will be equipped with Petersime Operational Excellence Technology.

Petersime was chosen as it is an international company that provides

excellent service and technical support to customers.

“I am very pleased and proud that CP China chose to cooperate with Petersime. We have taken a long journey together and took many aspects into consideration. I am confident that we will deliver top quality incubators and know how to provide support and service from our Chinese office run by chief representative Sandy Qi,” Hugo De Ruyck, Petersime’s Sales Director for Asia, told International Hatchery Practice.

The hatchery will be in operation at the end of 2019. Another three breeder farms and 19 broiler farms are also under construction.

petersime.com

30 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

Air cell up when setting eggs! 95

Tel: +31 314 659 111 • [email protected]

by Gerd de Lange, Senior Poultry Specialist, Pas Reform Academy

It is important to pay attention to the orientation of the eggs when placing them on setter trays as this has quite an impact on hatch results, both in terms of hatchability and chick quality. Air cell up is the way to go! The embryo lies on the surface of the yolk and is connected to the latebra ('white yolk'), which is located in the centre of the yolk. The water-rich latebra has a lower specific gravity than the lipid-rich yolk and according to the laws of physics, the embryo will always move to the top of the egg, no matter which way the egg is placed on the setter tray. By about day 14 the developing embryo lies on top of the yolk sac. It then turns so it lies lengthwise in the egg and by day 18 the embryo's head is under the right wing with the beak pointing upwards, ready to pierce the air cell (internal pipping) and inflate the lungs prior to finally emerging from the egg. But what if the air cell is out of reach of the embryo? The air cell is situated at the blunt end between the shell membrane and the egg membrane. When eggs are set accidentally sharp-end-up, the head of the embryo is at the opposite end from the air cell and internal pipping is impossible. It is very difficult for the embryo to hatch in this position because it is fully dependent on the limited oxygen supply through the chorioallantoic membrane, and because the shell is stronger at the sharp end and there is less space for pipping and moving around. Unsuccessful embryos can be recognised during break-out of hatch

residue by their legs being near the air cell; however not all eggs that are incubated sharp-end-up fail to hatch. A customer in Turkey carried out an experiment in 2016 using different breeds and flock ages. 300 eggs were set sharp-end-up and 300 eggs in the normal position. This resulted in 12.7-21.0% lower hatch of fertile, mostly due to a difference in late mortality (see Fig. 1). Moreover, among the eggs that had been incubated sharp-end-up there were more culled chicks. When sharp-end-up incubation is combined with in-ovo vaccination, the results are even more dramatic. A small-scale experiment conducted by a customer in Hungary in 2019 with 162 eggs per treatment resulted in 93 saleable chicks from sharp-end-up incubated eggs. When eggs in this position were also in-ovo vaccinated, only 39 saleable chicks were obtained. The control group (sharp-end-down and in-ovo vaccination) showed normal hatch results. Advice: l Be aware that if 10% of eggs are accidentally set sharp-end-up hatchability will be up to 2% lower. l Train staff in breeder farm and hatchery to set eggs with air cell up (sharp-end-down/blunt-end-up). l Use a candling light in a darkened room to make air cell visible if in doubt. l Consider automated sharp-end-down setting, especially when doing in-ovo vaccination. l Pay more attention to egg orientation if you notice the ‘legs near air cell’ sign during break-out of hatch residue. n

Gene edited chicken cells In newly released research, scientists from The Roslin

Institute have prevented the avian influenza virus from replicating in laboratory-grown chicken cells, suggesting that it may one day be possible to produce chickens that are resistant to the disease. The study was funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council with additional funding from Cobb-Vantress.

To inhibit the avian influenza virus from replicating, the research team used gene-editing techniques to delete a section of chicken DNA inside lab-grown cells. Researchers targeted a specific molecule inside chicken cells called ANP32A, which the influenza virus takes over to help replicate itself. After removing the section of DNA responsible for producing ANP32A, the virus was no longer able to grow inside cells with the genetic change.

Researchers at The Roslin Institute, in collaboration with experts from Cambridge University, previously produced chickens that did not transmit avian influenza to other chickens following infection using genetic modification techniques. This new approach is unique because it does not involve introducing new genetic material into the bird’s DNA.

“This is an important advance that suggests we may be able to use gene-editing techniques to produce chickens that are resistant to avian influenza,” Helen Sang, professor at The Roslin Institute, told

International Hatchery Practice. “We have not produced any birds yet and we need to check if the DNA change has any other effects on the bird cells before we can take this next step.”

Avian influenza is a global threat to poultry production, accounting for the loss of millions of chickens when an outbreak occurs. Severe strains have the potential to kill entire flocks and, in rare instances, certain strains of the virus can infect people, causing serious illness. Efforts to control the spread of the disease are urgently needed.

“Avian influenza resistance in broiler production is of global significance,” said Rachel Hawken, senior director of genomics and quantitative genetics at Cobb-Vantress. “This research is an important step toward that goal. It is exciting for Cobb to be a part of exploring new technologies that could be used to advance poultry breeding in the future.”

Genomic research is nothing new for Cobb, which has invested in the field for many years to select superior breeding stock using individual DNA information (not DNA alterations) and individual performance measures to calculate a measure of genetic merit. The company also participates in the investigation of many new technologies as they become available to improve their ability to produce healthy, high-performing breeding stock.

cobb-vantress.com

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Fig. 1. Embryo mortality 19-21 days for eggs incubated in normal position vs eggs incubated sharp-end up.

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 31

40

We know that newly hatched chicks cannot control their body temperature very well, and need some help by keeping the environment close to their needs. It is easy to tell from the chicks’ behaviour whether they are too hot or too cold. Hot or cold chicks also tend to be noisy. By checking their body temperature you can quantify how hot or cold they are, compared to the Aviagen target of 103-105˚F, and make adjustments to the environment accordingly. This hatchery tip gives some hints as to the best way to get repeatable, accurate results when checking chick temperatures.

All the Aviagen trials measuring vent temperature have used a Braun Thermoscan thermometer. These are widely available, well priced and consistent. Of the current models, the Thermoscan 5 or 7 are the most suitable, because they pre-heat the measuring tip. However, they should still be checked regularly, and we advise replacing the unit every 12 months. There are other excellent paediatric infrared (IR) thermometers available, but these may give slightly different readings. So if you want to use an alternative, calibrate it against a Braun device. Switch the thermometer on and leave to settle in the room where it will be used for 15-20 minutes at the start of any measuring session.

To measure vent temperature, hold the chick with its vent towards you, and use your thumb to push the rump upwards. The tip of the thermometer should be placed on the area free of any down. If the vent is wet, after a dropping has been passed, then any visible moisture should be blotted away, or another chick sampled – a chick with a wet vent will appear to have a much lower temperature than others in the group.

Once moved to a different environment chick temperature will change quite fast. Fig. 1 shows the temperature of 50 chicks in the order they were measured. They had been moved from a hot environment to a cooler one just before measurement started. Whenever possible, chicks should be measured in the place where they are being held. If they have to be moved, for example out of a hatcher or a delivery vehicle, then the vent temperatures will only be representative of the former environment for around 15 minutes. After this time, a new sample should be taken.

Vent temperatures can give accurate and repeatable guidance to the comfort of chicks at all stages between hatching and arriving at the farm. Take care to measure accurately, record the data to place and time and use it to make improvements to the environment for the chicks.

MEASURING VENT TEMPERATURES ACCURATELY

A service to hatchery personnel from Aviagen www.aviagen.com

Specialist technical skills training

To ensure the continuous, optimised running of modern, technologically advanced hatcheries, operational staff today need to be skilled across multiple disciplines. This includes having an understanding of the overall hatchery systems, equipment and incubation processes, as well as being able to operate and maintain specific components safely and efficiently.

To help meet this requirement, Pas Reform recently organised a practical, interactive and hands-on, three-day hatchery technical training program for a group of key US customers. Participants learned both from the trainers and through the opportunity to share experiences and insights with other professional hatchery personnel.

The residential course was held at the Koch Foods hatchery in South Guntersville, Alabama. It was

attended by a group of 14 learners from Cobb Blairsville, Cobb Cleveland, Koch Foods Crossville, Koch Foods Henagar and Wayne Farms. The specialist teaching team included incubation specialists and service managers from NatureForm and Pas Reform.

The course was targeted at technical staff and maintenance managers. It was designed to equip them with the skills to correctly operate the equipment – including preventive maintenance, how to respond to minor alarms and carrying out small repairs – within the overall context of the incubation processes. Practical subjects covered included the operation of setters and hatchers, chillers and air handling units, automation systems, and service and spare parts. There were also demonstrations and practical assignments involving SmartCenter-Pro, SmartCare and the SmartService app.

pasreform.com

A new hybrid laying programme selected for South Asian production has been brought to market due to successful international collaboration. After winning public tender for

Czech Technology Agency (TACR) Delta projects, the long established Czech partnership of Lihen Studenec Sro and Dominant CZ, partnered with scientific research institute and veterinary drug company Biofarm and Biopharmacy from Czech Republic and the National Institute for Animal Science (NIAS) from Hanoi, Vietnam. The first step of the project involved the scientific studies of field trials with six different final hybrid programmes in Vietnamese environmental production conditions. Using this data to identify the most suitable hybrid programme, the next stage studied and selected pure genetic populations in individual testing facilities at Thuy Phuong Poultry Research Centre (NIAS) Hanoi. The new hybrid programme, named and branded VCZ16, is a white feathered layer of cream coloured eggs and is feather sexable. VCZ16 is perfectly suited to all intensive and extensive production systems. There is now excellent opportunities for continued selection and improvement for adaptability of pure lines, parents and hybrids in Vietnamese and all South Asian climates. A key part of the project is long term preservation of genetic material through molecular genetics. To date this has involved the opening of a new biotechnological laboratory near Hanoi (NIAS), teaching and training of all methodology, including artificial insemination, and assessment of reproductive parameters.

dominant-cz.cz

Fig. 1. Vent temperatures dropping as a box of chicks adjusts to a cooler environment.

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hatchery news from around the world

New hatchery in Japan Fukuda Breeders Co Ltd, a large broiler hatchery company,

and HatchTech have signed an agreement for the construction of a new turnkey hatchery in Japan.

HatchTech will deliver the total package of incubation solutions, including MicroClimer Setters and Hatchers, a Chick Storage Room and ventilation, cooling and heating equipment. The capacity of this hatchery will be 720,000 eggs per week. The new hatchery will be built in Okayama City, South of Japan.

“Our chick sales have been steadily growing, which is why we expand our company with this new hatchery,” Mr Yamagami, President of Fukuda, told International Hatchery Practice. “We are convinced of the laminar airflow concept and are proud to be the first Japanese broiler hatchery with modern single-stage incubators. Our priority is 'Chick Quality First' and we strongly believe that due to the HatchTech incubation solutions we will produce the best quality chicks.”

HatchTech's incubation equipment

is based on laminar airflow technology. This ensures that the airflow is exactly the same throughout the machines and that the optimal temperature is provided to each egg and day-old-chick, resulting into stronger and healthier chicks. This agreement is the result of a successful collaboration with Kyowa Machinery who have been exclusively responsible for the distribution of HatchTech products in the Japanese market since 2018.

Fukuda is the sixth biggest independent hatchery in Japan. With a continuous focus on the latest technologies and best practices, Fukuda ensures it produces the best quality chicks.

hatchtech.nl

New representative in the Philippines

Pas Reform’s international expansion has taken another step forward, with the appointment of Rosemarie R. Astorga, president of Filtration Solutions Inc (FSI), as the company’s representative in the Philippines.

FSI is a well-known trading and distribution business – providing filtration solutions across a wide range of sectors. Based east of Manilla in Pasig City, the company was founded in 2002 and is a subsidiary of ERA Trading.

The company first entered the

poultry business two years ago – both supplying equipment and providing full, turnkey systems for poultry sector customers. This has included automatic feeding and drinking equipment, automatic nest systems and complete ventilation systems, together with meat processing equipment.

FSI’s new partnership with Pas Reform extends and deepens its involvement in the country’s hatchery industry and its goal is to further develop and strengthen Pas Reform’s market position across the Philippines.

pasreform.com

hatchery news from around the world

International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5 33

addition to Eagle Eye to make traceability happen on a hatchery level. This software offers support in optimising the hatching process to the fullest by analysing and improving the flock performance.

Moreover, it will provide the opportunity to have an overview over the whole value chain.

petersime.com

Jamesway signs three new agents

Global markets are expanding and the demand for poultry is growing internationally, so Jamesway have formed partnerships with three new agents in South Korea, Latin America, and Russia.

In Latin America, Poultry and Industrial Suppliers (PIS Miami) will be supporting the Jamesway Team in the Caribbean, Central and South America. This relationship was initiated with a two-day training session in Miami.

Shipment to New Zealand After three years of planning and construction, Cobb

New Zealand has now delivered its first grandparent (GP) shipment. The delivery marks a significant expansion for Cobb in the Asia-Pacific region and helps protect the security of supply for the whole region.

Cobb delivered the GP package to Bromley Park Hatcheries Group, a New Zealand family-owned business that produces and sells high-quality chicks. Bromley Park Hatcheries Group, which has distributed Cobb breeding stock for nearly 30 years, operates in Waikato and Christchurch.

Located in Rotongaro, North Island, the Cobb New Zealand project broke ground in October 2017. The pure-line facility aims to serve as a hub for the delivery of breeding stocks to Asia. New Zealand’s reputation for hygiene and absence of avian diseases makes its products accessible to most countries around the world.

“This first delivery marks the beginning of unprecedented product availability for our Asia-Pacific customers and showcases our commitment to serving customers around the globe,” Fred Kao, general

manager of Cobb Asia-Pacific, told International Hatchery Practice.

“This advancement would not have been possible without our team members who worked tirelessly to make it happen and we greatly appreciate their efforts.”

Home to 4.4 billion people, Asia is expected to grow its population by another 20% by 2050. Rising incomes and stable economies are driving the growth of protein consumption in the region. In 2019, chicken meat is expected to overtake pork as the world’s number one consumed protein due to low cost of production from superior feed conversion.

cobb-vantress.com

Track and trace hatchery data

With hatcheries becoming larger and more integrated, and the rising demand for transparency by consumers, Petersime has launched software to connect egg origin and incubation parameters to chick outcome and performance. Big data from a hatchery’s perspective has become a reality.

Eagle Trax is an innovative software

A team of 10 trainees, existing certified auditors and staff recently visited Centurion Poultry’s grandparent breeding stock farm as part of their periodic training of existing and

new auditors of the USDA-APHIS Compartmentalization Program. They followed a rigorous four-day training event coordinated by USDA-APHIS and hosted by the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network in Gainesville, GA. The extensive training program not only included courses on the theory around biosecurity and handling during disease outbreaks, but also included hands-on experiences at a feed mill, hatchery, egg depot, production offices and breeder farm. Centurion Poultry were honoured to have been asked to help in providing the breeder farm element. Compartmentalisation status allows companies and/or production units to obtain a ‘clean’ status at a time of a reportable disease outbreak in the country or region which would prohibit the company/production unit from moving their products (hatching eggs or day old chicks) causing obvious negative impacts on the normal routine of business.

centurionpoultry.com

K.I.Systems will represent Jamesway in South Korea where their experience servicing the poultry market will be of great benefit to local customers.

The third new partnership is with LLC CenterAgro in the Russian Federation where they will work with existing and potential customers to find the best way to enhance poultry production in spite of the country’s sluggish economy.

Jamesway has a busy schedule of training and workshops, and the addition of these three new agents will fit in well with its increased focus on the international market.

jamesway.com

USA hatchery statistics 2018

The National Agricultural Statistics Service of USDA recently published the USA’s hatchery statistics for 2018. Key figures for 2018 included 9.71 billion broiler chicks were hatched (up 1% on 2017) and 94.9 million broiler breeder pullet chicks (up 2%). Egg type chicks were at 634 million (up 9%) while turkey poults were down 1% at 290 million.

The USA’s capacity of chicken hatcheries on 1st January 2019 was 970 million eggs, while a similar figure for turkeys was 41 million eggs.

Managing hatcheries for the highest chick quality and performance was the key topic during the 7th Hatchery and Incubation Management Module of the Aviagen Production

Management School for Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA). For the fourth year in a row, Aviagen hosted the Hatchery and Incubation training in Budapest, Hungary, where the poultry industry is well-developed and growing. The course provided a good balance of classroom learning and real-world practice as well as networking.

aviagen.com

Please mention International

Hatchery Practice when sourcing further information

Diary

2019

SPACE 10-13th September Rennes, France www.space.fr

WVPA Congress 16-20th September Bangkok, Thailand www.wvpac2019.com

Ildex Indonesia 18-20th September Jakarta, Indonesia www.ildex.com

VIV Qingdao 19-21st September Qingdao, China www.viv.net

Poultry Africa 2-3rd October Kigali, Rwanda www.poultryafrica2019.com

Latin American Poultry Congress 9-11th October Lima, Peru www.elovum.com

Agrena 17-19th October Cairo, Egypt www.agrena.com

Lanka Livestock 24-26th October Colombo, Sri Lanka www.lankalivestock.com

Livestock Taiwan 31st October-2nd November Taipei, Taiwan www.livestocktaiwan.com

APPOINTMENTS

Benoît Lanthier Cobb-Vantress North American Technical Service Team www.cobb-vantress.com

Marlon Garcia Andrade Cobb-Vantress North American Technical Service Team www.cobb-vantress.com

34 International Hatchery Practice • Volume 33 Number 5

Learning from nature Petersime are constantly rethinking the rules of

commercial incubation by studying nature. That also means they continuously improve the incubation programs for their machines according to the results of that research. Their recent key findings show it is beneficial to ventilate the setter in the beginning of the hatching process.

As part of their customer service, the programs are updated to optimise hatching results. During the development of the Re-Store system and recent field trials with the latest Operational Excellence incubation equipment they noted a small but significant trend.

The overall performance increased consistently but small negative differences were often recorded in one area of embryo development.

Depending on storage time and whether the eggs had received Re-Store treatment there could be more very early embryonic deaths.

Whilst not extensive the differences in 24/48-hour losses could range from 0.2-0.45%. This may seem little, but in a hatchery that does one million DOC a week, that is up to 4,500 chicks. Together with Ankara University Petersime organised a research program to investigate this phenomenon.

At the point of lay an egg contains an amount of CO2. When stored in a

cool storage room, the eggs slowly expulse this initial CO2 into their environment. During the early stage of incubation different CO2 concentrations play an important role on albumen characteristics and embryonic development.

The key findings of this research program clearly showed that the albumen of the egg becomes less acidic at the same rate the stored egg expulses built up CO2 through its porous shell.

There is a direct relation between the two. In the early stages of embryonic development, it is critical the albumen pH transition is not slowed. In such a case the CO2 would not be able to escape quick enough and the albumen would become too acidic. This can halt development at this delicate stage and cause a very early death.

Petersime’s Re-Store treatment will resolve the issue because it mimics the clutch building activity of the broody hen.

By the intermediate warming of the eggs for a short duration during storage they release a degree of the stored CO2 like they would underneath a chicken leaving and returning to the nest.

Without Re-Store you could achieve the same impact when you ventilate the setter for a short period of 12-24 hours immediately following the warm up period.

petersime.com

Successful 3rd Premium Forum

Hubbard recently organised the 3rd Hubbard Premium Forum for customers of their Premium products.

The biennial event, this year held in Barcelona, Spain, offered nearly 180 attendees from 34 countries around the world an excellent chance to learn more about the major investments and progress in the Hubbard Premium R&D, the many (new) developments in this market segment and to get the latest updates on field results and management advice.

The meeting also allowed everyone to enlarge their network within the growing Hubbard Premium customer base.

hubbardbreeders.com

Innovative quarantine facility

In keeping with a commitment to rigorous biosecurity to ensure the health and welfare of its birds, Aviagen has built a leading-edge quarantine farm in New South Wales, Australia. The investment totalled A$20 million and the new 3,500m2 farm is known as the Wagga Wagga Import Quarantine Facility.

Animal health and import regulations in Australia and New Zealand are among the toughest in the world, and Wagga Wagga is the only poultry quarantine facility within Australia that fully complies with government requirements. It will hold approximately 12,000 great grandparent (GGP) birds, with a fresh import arriving every 20 weeks.

offered by Ross birds. The Wagga Wagga quarantine

facility follows the strictest biosecurity, receiving quality imported eggs and then incubating them, hatching them and growing them to approximately 10 weeks of age. The chickens are tested by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) to confirm that they are healthy and disease free, before they are transferred to Aviagen breeder farms. The farm is then disinfected and prepared for the next quarantine cycle.

Wagga Wagga is constructed with state-of-the-art features to ensure the greatest level of biosecurity available today.

It is a fully-sealed, climate-controlled and High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA)-filtered structure cocooned in a protective outer building.

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