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By Ian Dowsland, UK Regional Accounts Manager, Aviagen
With the continuing financial pressures in the UK industry, maximising economic return and profit is a considerable challenge for the broiler grower. Aside from chick cost, the biggest cost inputs to growing broilers are feed, labour and energy and it follows that the highest profitability will fall to those growers utilising these inputs most effectively.
In the current climate, pressure is on the farm manager to reduce on farm costs, but any costs saving measures have to be evaluated in the context of managing the birds to maximise performance. Cost savings should never be made at the expense of quality and by thinking ahead and planning for the unexpected a plan can be created, which maximises liveability, FCR, saleable quality and bottom line profit for the crop.
Such things as minimising feed spillages, diluting chemicals correctly and providing proper storage conditions for vaccines to ensure their efficacy, can all reduce the cost inputs to growing a flock without impacting on quality.
Feed for profit
Financial returns for the whole crop need to be closely monitored to ensure birds are fed for profit and not for cost. When the feed cost is high, it is tempting to decrease costs in the short term, either by diluting the diet density at the mill or by introducing increased amounts of wheat on the farm. Aviagen have conducted a number of trials which clearly demonstrate the negative impact on financial performance when diet specifications are reduced in order to achieve a lower cost ration. In the trials, varying levels of digestible amino acids were fed to birds. The results clearly showed differences in the response from the different breeds of bird and led to the conclusion that the current management and nutritional advice offered by Aviagen is correct and specific for the Ross 308. Using advice for the management of other breeds is inappropriate for the Ross 308 if profitability is to be maximised. Conversely advice for the Ross 308 is not necessarily applicable for other breeds. Thus, breed specific management and nutrition should be followed, if margins and profits are to be maximised.
Preparation for flock intake
In preparing for your next flock of birds, it is essential to review the previous crop's performance. This review should take account of any post mortems, blood analysis and hygiene swabbing carried out to determine any possible challenges the previous flock faced and establish the best strategy for managing the new flock. If necessary, vaccine and disinfection procedures can then be changed to minimise the risk to the new flock from disease challenge or infection. Having systems in place to monitor what is going on with the flock and identify issues early is essential, so that if any problem does occur, decisive action can be taken very quickly. In a modern broiler's life, one day is the equivalent of around 2% of the growing period so it is vital that any signs are recognised early to minimise the effect of anything that might limit growth.
Biosecurity
The risk of disease challenge is present at all times and those responsible for flocks should be aware of this risk and how to manage it. Managers must ensure that staff members and contract staff are fully aware of every aspect of biosecurity and the potential risk that they pose to the birds' welfare and to the financial security of the operation, if disease is introduced to the farm.
Simple but effective methods of farm security need to be in place. At the very least, farm specific footwear and clothing should be available to staff and visitors and barriers to control the movement of people such as gates, fences and locked doors should be in place.
It is also important to remember that biosecurity starts from the moment the farm has been disinfected during cleanout. After final disinfection, the sheds should be locked to control access and foot-dips made available to eliminate any contamination of the sheds before the chicks are placed.
Remember there are a number of events during the cleanout and disinfection period which can impact on the health status of the farm. Maintenance visitors, the introduction of bedding material, and the process of chick placement itself, are all an opportunity for the biosecurity of the site to be breached.
Chick start
As with all parts of the growing cycle there is only one chance to get things right and get the flock off to a good start. The house should be set up to meet the needs of the baby chick and then adapted to continue to meet its needs as it grows. Providing the appropriate amount of feed and drinker space, heat, air and light during the brooding period is essential if birds are to build a strong frame and cardiovascular system. Remember, you may not have the same number of birds in this intake as you did last time and so need a different number of drinkers or feed space. Water quality too is critical and supplementary drinkers should be regularly cleaned and topped up with fresh water to ensure that bacteria levels are not multiplying in the ideal environment that you are providing in the poultry house. These small details can add significantly to maximising the performance and thus the profitability of the flock.
The importance of getting the start period right is emphasised in results from commercial flocks which indicate that for every 10 grams weight at 7 days of age, depletion weights can be improved 4 to 5 times. Keeping the flock uniform during this early period is also important as it impacts on the range of weight around the final target weight. Well managed flocks should be achieving 160 grams or more liveweight and a CV of 8-9% at seven days. How well you are managing this first week in the birds' life can be monitored by weighing daily, assessing crop fill and simply taking time to observe bird behaviour.
Environment
It is also very important to set ventilation systems, particularly minimum ventilation, correctly to ensure a supply of good quality air into the house, in balance with the heat (and humidity) being supplied by the brooding heaters. However, it is all very well bringing fresh air into the shed, but if the fans and heaters are competing with each other, unnecessary costs can be incurred.
Lighting levels and lighting programmes need to be carefully managed too. In the brooding phase, lights can be used to hold the birds in the area of the house where the feed and water is available thus maximising their opportunity to get the flock off to a good start and achieve those extra few grams of growth that are so valuable. Lighting intensity and position must be part of the programme of managing the birds during their first week of growth, as they move from their food and water being supplied on the floor to being supplied by the automatic systems in the house.
Chick behaviour is the best guide to what the chicks are experiencing. Any signs of discontent will be reflected in performance and thus profitability in some way.
Growth
Aviagen's long term selection program has placed a lot of emphasis on the support or welfare traits such as cardiovascular fitness and leg strength. The Ross bird is able to grow without the need for complicated management techniques or lighting programmes.
Such programmes can affect bird activity and together with poor litter management can lead to increased levels of hockburn or pododermatitis in a flock and an increased number of downgrades in the factory. Consideration should therefore be given not only to the effect of ventilation and drinker management on litter quality but also to the effect that any lighting programme may have on bird behaviour. Every 0.25% decrease in rejects can be worth approximately 0.2 pence of cost saved per bird.
Depletion
Having done the best possible job to get birds to this point, all the opportunities that have been taken to maximise profit margin can be thrown away unless depletion procedures are carefully thought through and managed. Wherever possible birds should be caught in reduced light intensity, not only to minimise stress but to avoid carcass damage and consequent cost of downgrades. It is not always possible to catch birds during the night and if they have to be caught during day, door curtains should be used and barriers employed to minimise flapping and migration away from the catching area. This is particularly important in thinning operations, as not only the birds being caught, but also those left behind can be affected by poor handling, resulting in increased downgrades at the processing plant. It is vital that personnel are properly trained in how to handle birds and the farm manager should supervise the process closely to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Simple routines and attention to detail then, have to be the order of the day.
Aviagen's management and nutrition recommendations are specifically designed to maximise the performance of the Ross 308 as it grows and effectively putting them into practice on the farm is the key.
Courtesy of Poultry World, June 2004
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