Information exchange

Information exchange

The exchange of information between the upstream (breeder) and downstream (broiler or rearing farmer) links relative to the hatchery will reveal the causes and consequences of problems and possible relationships. The breeder flock manager provides information about the parent stock and the hatching eggs supplied to the hatchery. The most important data supplied by the breeder farmer mainly concern the age of the parent stock, diseases, medication use, vaccinations and any decline in production. The hatchery supplies feedback to the breeder farmer on egg quality, fertility and hatchability. This starts with the initial inspection of eggs upon arrival at the hatchery for egg quality and care. The hatchery also passes on information to the broiler or rearing farm, so the characteristics of the day-old chicks can be taken into account in the flock management strategy. For example, if the hatching eggs were laid by young mother hens, the chicks will be smaller and more temperature sensitive. In this case, the broiler producer can set and maintain the house temperature at a higher value for longer. In turn, the broiler producer informs the hatchery about aspects relating to the first week of life in particular. Feedback that is especially important for the hatchery is the mortality rate and growth rate during the first seven days. Digital systems have facilitated better and more efficient data exchange. Currrently, a relational database model that presents data in tables is usually used. This makes it easy to select the right data for each hatchery or house. However, if you fail to utilise and apply the collected data, you are simply wasting your time and drawing the wrong conclusions. Despite high levels of automation and digitisation, many hatcheries still keep paper records and charts. You are then more conscious of the data and the data remains in one place. Make sure that this data is entered into a practical database, so that you can learn from it later and it does not end up in a file in the filing cabinet.

parent stock age vaccinations diseases egg storage period

parent stock age vaccinations diseases chick day of hatchcopyright protected vaccinations

Parent stock

hatch chick weight embryo mortality cracks Hatchery Poultry farm (layers/broilers)

mortality in week 1 feed conversion growth in week 1

The hatchery also plays a key role in the flow of relevant information.

Share information

Sharing information can answer important questions in case of problems. For example, how long the hatching eggs were stored at the hatchery, which reduces the number of ‘fertile’ eggs, or including floor eggs in the setters, which reduces chick quality and increases mortality. Combining chicks from different origins in one batch is often detrimental to uniformity. Sharing this information is essential to benefit the entire production chain. The so-called chick passport lists relevant data on the background of the flock of day-old chicks. This passport can be sent to the broiler producer before the day-old chicks are delivered. This allows the broiler producer to make the right preparations in advance. The chick passport subsequently accompanies the flock to the poultry meat processor. In many cases, the transport vehicle driver measures and registers the temperature of the floor and the litter. He/she informs the hatchery manager about the results. Too cold means too high chick mortality during the first week that is not directly related to incubation problems. Incorrect care of the chicks when they arrive at the broiler farm will make any problems related to the incubation process worse. Registering the specifics when the chicks leave the hatchery allows possible causes of problems to be traced or eliminated.

Make sure the breeder provides the hatchery manager with vaccination schedules, so that batches of eggs from parent stock with similar vaccination schedules (immunity status = maternal immunity) can be placed together in the setter tray. Also take parent stock age into account. Variation in eggs is reflected in the offspring Influence of egg storage on broiler weight (1st week) Influence of parent stock age on final broiler weightcopyright protected Proportion of eggs (%) short storage period long storage period Proportion of eggs (%) parent stock 40 weeks parent stock 26 weeks

0 50 100 150 200 250 Broiler weight on day 7 (g)

Chicks that lag behind in growth have a significant impact on the average performance of the entire flock. This often becomes visible after the first seven days (higher mortality/lower growth rates). Not only is the average final weight lower, there is often a wide variation in chick weights. In this case, 95% of the batch consists of chicks hatched from eggs with a short storage period (green line) and 5% from eggs with a long storage period (red line). 80% of these chicks originate from parent stock aged 40 weeks (average 2,000 g, green), and 20% of the chicks from parent stock aged 26 weeks (average 1,700 g, red). The end result is a flock of broilers that weigh an average of 1,940 g on day 40. This difference might only seem marginal but it is a significant loss for the broiler producer...

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 Broiler weight on day 40 (g)