In order to meet the needs of consumers and ensure the profitability of broiler producers, broiler breeding on a global scale for many years has resulted in birds that grow rapidly and are very lean. Broiler breeder hens also have these same characteristics and must be managed carefully. In short, this means that they must be fed so that they do not grow too fast or store too much fat.

Although egg production definitely requires some fat deposition, too much fat deposited around the ovaries will reduce the number of eggs laid per broiler breeder.

The feeding strategy used in North America and the rest of the world to control growth rate and excessive fat deposition is to feed every other day, that is, every 48 hours.

Skip-feeding is accompanied by welfare issues (in fact, some European countries prohibit skip-feeding). In addition, according to Dr. Martin Zuidhof, professor of poultry system modeling and precision breeding at the University of Alberta, Canada, this is not the best production strategy in use today from a profit point of view.

"We should abandon alternate-day feeding in North America because it is serious, but also because it is not the best way to run a broiler farm with today's genetics," Zuidhof explained. "Our research shows that raising broiler breeder hens to a higher body weight is more economically beneficial-yes, you can do this by feeding more food every 48 hours, but the time between meals It’s very long-and you can also get daily feeding there. You will get different metabolic effects and provide outstanding performance."

"When you feed every day, all the feed is used to run the body and lay eggs..."

He said that feeding every other day will cause some feed to enter fat storage, but he and his colleagues found that “when you feed every day, all the feed will enter the body to run and lay eggs. So you will increase egg production. But we I found that your broilers can also perform better."

On the basis of a 2018 study "Lifetime Productivity of Routine and Precision Feeding Broiler Breeders" by Zuidhof, it was found that compared with conventionally raised broiler chickens, the broiler offspring produced by feeding heavier hens at 42 days The weight has increased by 5%. The genetic potential of the 145 chicks/broiler breeder hens also indicates that there is room for improvement compared to the current 115 (average in Alberta). He plans to study the effect of maternal body weight on reproductive efficiency and offspring performance more comprehensively, and pointed out that Aviagen is very interested in this research.

In addition, his PhD student Mohammad Afrouziyeh showed that daily feeding can provide financial rewards by reducing aggression. In the case of feeding on alternate days, the birds are more aggressive, possibly because they are hungry longer, or because they feel stressed because they are not sure when the next meal will be.

"...Compared with the flocks that are fed daily, the pecking rate is higher, the mortality rate is higher, and the overall performance of the flock is lower."

Therefore, compared with the flocks fed daily, breeders find that the feather pecking rate is higher, the mortality rate is higher, and the overall performance of the flock is lower. Of course, economic benefits such as better flock performance, more chicks per broiler breeder and better offspring performance are fully reflected in the comprehensive operation. However, if a company is a strict broiler breeder, it will still get financial benefits from better chicken performance and more chicks per hen, so that it can provide better broiler producers for their customers. chick.

Zuidhof also pointed out that from the perspective of product marketing, the chicken produced by broilers raised in this system can prove to be welfare-friendly, at a high price, and compete with traditional chicken because customers prefer traditional chicken.

In order to study the breeding strategy of broiler breeders, Zuidhof created a precise breeding system. Each broiler breeder has an RFID chip, which can enter the feeder multiple times a day, but only provides feed based on the deviation of its weight from the daily preset target weight. Although such a system is not yet commercially viable, there are good reasons to believe that it may become a reality.

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"I'm working with an engineer to make my system more economical," Zuidhof said, "but we need to understand that precision feeding also provides benefits for male fertility. In broiler breeders, males are very different than hens. The difference is even greater, but precise feeding results in very uniform males and high fertility. Infertile eggs are a huge economic problem. In a process called spikes, males usually have to be replaced at a rate of about 40%. Therefore, Improving male fertility is another huge economic benefit of precision feeding, and it will make the return on investment schedule more attractive."

He further pointed out the possibility of simplifying the precision feeding system. Among them is a scale. Birds must stand on the scale to eat. Although they are not individually identified, they will be automatically weighed throughout the day when they approach the feeder. Compare their weights according to the target weight and meal size provided accordingly.

However, Zuidhof points out that precision feeding is only one factor that affects chick production. The photoperiod and other factors also need to be carefully managed. And because of the lack of collective knowledge of broiler breeder nutrition, he also wanted to study how nutritional requirements, feeding time and the use of different formulas affect production performance.

For example, it has been found that a feed rich in calcium in the afternoon is most suitable for laying hens because calcium is easier to use for laying eggs. This is a problem that needs further research in broiler breeder hens.

Looking ahead, Zuidhof said: "I think it is difficult to convince the industry to get rid of skip days, but as the consumer landscape continues to evolve, the longer we use it, the worse it looks."

In his view, in addition to real change, more transparency is needed. "We need to prove that, yes, we have skipped a day, but we found that there are some ways to manage better feeding of birds. The good news is that these methods are also good for the bottom line of the producers."

By Natalie Berkhout on July 30 in Meat

Author: Vladislav Vorotnikov July 29 in Meat

Author: Natalie Berkhout June 2 in Nutrition

By Tony McDougal May 17 in the egg

Vladislav Vorotnikov in the egg on May 10

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