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On-farm hatching: Utopia or reality?

A summary of 10 years of research and field results Lotte van de Ven, PhD Vencomatic Group

On-farm hatching: utopia or reality?

• 50,000,000 bird places installed with VCM systems • ~ 2 billion chicks hatched on-farm • 12 countries

Antimicrobial use in poultry and pigs – 2030 (106,000 tons)

2. USA

1. China 4. India

5. Mexico

3. Brazil

Van Boeckel et al. 2015, PNAS vol. 112 - 18

Broiler industry – First week of life Antibiotics use per week of a broilers life

hatchery

Broiler farm

First days – hatching window • Spread of hatch: • Temperature differences incubator • Storage of eggs (nest, farm, hatchery) • Age of parent flock • Natural variation • Egg size • Egg shell thickness • Embryo development (30,000 – 60,000 cells)

Tona et al., 2003 using Cobb eggs

First days – in transit

A broiler chick spends up to 5% of its life before placement in the house

First days – a good start?

Water quality Hygiene

Feed quality/ Composition

Air quality

Animal health

Well-being

Effects of delayed feed access

Up to 8% weight loss in 24 hours

Study of Careghi et al., 2005 using Cobb eggs.

Poultry Science 84:1314-1320

Effects of delayed feed access

Suboptimal development of digestive system

Study of Bigot et al., 2003. Poultry Science 82:781-788

Effects of delayed feed access

No feed inhibits intestinal maturation

Geyra et al., 2001

Effects of delayed feed access

Delayed feeding

Uni et al., 1998

Early feeding

Effects of delayed feed access

Suboptimal development of immune system

Study of Dibner et al., 1998, using broiler chicks.

Journal of Applied Poultry Science 7:425-436

Traditional

On-farm hatching

15

On-farm hatching systems Patio (since 2008)

On farm hatching systems - X-Treck (since 2016)

17

Different hatching conditions

100

40

90 80

30

70

25

60 50

20

40

15

30

10

20

5 0 441

445

449

453

457

461

466

Patio - temperature

Hatcher side - temperature

Hatcher side - RH

Patio RH

470

474

478

482

486

Incubation time (h)

491

495

499

503

10 0

507

511

Relative Humidity (%)

Temperature (°C)

35

Different start

Hatchery

On-farm hatching

1. Feed and water

1-2 days after hatch

Directly after hatch

2. Egg position

Horizontal

Vertical

Off Ventilators / machines No

On Stil Yes

Day old chicks Excl. 2nd grade chicks

18-d incubated eggs Incl. 2nd grade chicks

37-38ºC 50-60% 1 liter per egg High / variable 1.2 mg / m3 Yes

35ºC 35-40% > 34 liter per egg Stand still (<0.2 m/s) 0.5 mg / m3 No

3. Hatching environment:   

Light Background noise Litter

4.Chick handling  

Transport 2nd grade chicks

5. Air quality:  Temperature  Relative humidity  Air volume  Air speed  Dust concentration  Disinfection

Different start - Research results

A. Effects of hatching time and system on broiler chick development (Patio; PhD research Wageningen University 2008-2012)

B. Long-term effects on welfare and health (X-Treck; Wageningen Livestock Research 2016-2018)

C. Technical results from the field (Patio and X-Treck; field work, 2014-2019)

A) PhD research: Experimental design

Incubator: 32,000 eggs Day

18

16,000 eggs → Hatcher

Day old chicks

Day 21

Candling & transfer

Day 18

16,000 eggs → Patio

Results: 1) Feed and water access

1. Feed and water

Hatchery

On-farm hatching

1-2 days after hatch

Directly after hatch

1) Effects of delayed feed access

Change between hatch - d0 (%)

Yolk 0% -10% -20% -30% -40% -50% -60% -70% Hatchery

-80% 468

483 Incubation time (h)

498

Patio

1) Effects of delayed feed access Chick weight day 7

Hatchery

160

Patio

Chick weight (g)

140

Body weight

10% 5%

100 80 60

Hatchery

40

Patio

20 468

483

498

Incubation time (h) 0%

Chick weight day 41 -5%

Hatchery Patio

2.100 -10% 2.000

-15% 468

483 Incubation time (h)

498

Chick weight (g)

Change between hatch - d0 (%)

15%

120

1.900

1.800

1.700

1.600 468

483 Incubation time (h)

498

1) Effects of delayed feed access Hatchery 120%

Patio

100% 80% 60% 40%

Intestine length

20%

Hatchery Patio

70% 0% 468

483 Incubation time (h)

498

Change between hatch - d0 (%)

Change between hatch - d0 (%)

Liver

60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 468

483 Incubation time (h)

498

1) Effects of delayed feed access Liver glycogen

Hatchery Patio

140

120 100 80 60

Corticosterone

40 20 0 -20

-40

Hatchery Patio

60%

465

480 Incubation time (hours)

495

Change between hatch - d0 (%)

Change in liverglycogen (microgram)

160

40% 20% 0% -20%

-40% -60% 468

483 Incubation time (hours)

498

Results: 2) Egg position Hatchery

On-farm hatching

1. Feed and water

1-2 days after hatch

Directly after hatch

2. Egg position

Horizontal

Vertical

Results: 3) Hatching environment

Hatchery

On-farm hatching

1. Feed and water

1-2 days after hatch

Directly after hatch

2. Egg position

Horizontal

Vertical

Off Ventilators / machines No

On Still Yes

3. Hatching environment:   

Light Background noise Litter

4) Chick handling notquality investigated Different start: 5)> Air Hatchery

On-farm hatching

1. Feed and water

1-2 days after hatch

Directly after hatch

2. Egg position

Horizontal

Vertical

Off Ventilators / machines No

On Stil Yes

Day old chicks Excl. 2nd grade chicks

18-d incubated eggs Incl. 2nd grade chicks

37-38ºC 50-60% 1 liter per egg High / variable 1.2 mg / m3 Yes

35ºC 35-40% > 34 liter per egg Stand still (<0.2 m/s) 0.5 mg / m3 No

3. Hatching environment:   

Light Background noise Litter

4.Chick handling  

Transport 2nd grade chicks

5. Air quality:      

Temperature Relative humidity Air volume Air speed Dust concentration Disinfection

5) Air quality - bacteria

Furuta and Maruyama, 1981. British Poultry Science 22:247254

Hatcher

7,0

Hatcher met formaldehyde

Mean LOG CFUs

6,0 5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0 0,0 420

440 460 480 500 Sampling moment in incubation time (h)

520

5) Air quality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Formaline

Zulkifli et al., 1999. Veterinary Research Communications 23:91-99

5) Air quality - dust

Hatcher - dust

Dust (PM10; mg/m3)

4,0 3,5 3,0 2,5 2,0

X-Treck- dust

1,5 1,0

Concentration in broiler houses

0,5 0,0 18,0

18,5

19,0

19,5 20,0 Incubation days

20,5

21,0

21,5

B) Effects of on-farm hatching on welfare of broiler chickens Ingrid de Jong, Henk Gunnink, Theo van Hattum, Lisa Zoet, MariĂŤl Raaijmakers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WLR Freek Leijten, Pieter de Gouw, Marieke van Doornik, Elsemieke Wolfs, Lotte van de Ven - Vencomatic

Experimental design

• 16 X-treck and 16 parallel control flocks (distributed over 2 cycles and 7 farms) • X-treck and control house on the same farm location (same management, similar house design) • Origin of X-treck and control flock were identical (same batch of eggs of the same parental flock) • Observations between hatching and slaughter

Contact dermatitis & litter quality

Parameter

Control d21

X-treck d21

Control slaughter

X-treck slaughter

Treatment effect

Age effect

Foot padlaesions (0-4)

0.51

0.23

1.70

1.13

0.03

<0.001

Hock burn (0-4)

0.10

0.12

1.61

1.30

ns

<0.001

Dirt on feathers (0-3)

0.86

0.90

1.41

1.53

0.08

<0.001

Litter quality (0-4)

1.92

1.64

2.92

2.62

0.07

<0.01

Foot pad leasions Foot pad leasions day 21

Foot pad leasions slaughter age

Mortality and rejection rate

Control

X-treck

Mortality d 7 [%]

1,08

0,78

Cumulative mortality [%]

3,44

3,37

Rejection rate slaughter house [%]

1,74

1,24

Combined with a 50% reduction in Antibiotics use

C) Results from the field - Patio

C) Results from the field â&#x20AC;&#x201C; X-Treck

X-treck

Reference

Difference

Hatchability [%] *

96.5%

96.1%

+0.37%

Mortality cumulative [%]

2.82%

3.32%

-0.50%

Average slaughter age [days]

39.0

39.2

Average slaughter weight [gram]

2,569

2,488

+80

Dead on Arrival [%]

0.1%

0.1%

0.0%

Rejection [%]

0.6%

1.0%

-0.4%

FCR 1.500

1.219

1.272

-0.05

376

358

+18

Production Efficiency Factor

On-farm hatching: reality or utopia?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bABiySqd8eg

Lotte van de Ven CEO| Vencomatic Group +31 497 517380| Lotte.vandeVen@VencomaticGroup.com