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Early feeding system for turkey poults

After many years of trial and error, a successful system is now available

Early feeding system for turkey poults fi nally a reality

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The successful introduction of early feeding systems in the broiler industry raised the question whether turkey growers could also take advantage of it. After many years of trial and error, a successful system is now fi nally available with huge improvements in turkey poult performance.

US company Life-Science Innovations from Willmar, Minnesota, has been working on early feeding and water for poults for over 5 years. The company has over 70 years’ experience in the diff erent aspects of the turkey industry with extensive experience in the hatchery industry, operating the largest turkey hatchery and poult distribution in the world at one time. Since the hatch window in turkeys is much wider than in broilers, it is more diffi cult to give poults a perfect start after hatch. Therefore, early feeding and watering could provide opportunities to overcome the many early growth issues in turkey production. After trying various options, Life-Science Innovations had to admit that signifi cant improvements could not be achieved with traditional techniques.

Unknown world

They approached HatchTech to develop a system for turkeys like they had done for broilers. ‘Initially, we were not ready to enter the turkey world because we wanted to fi rst complete our HatchCare system for broilers before making something for turkeys,’ HatchTech commercial director Joost ter Heerdt explains. ‘Besides, at that moment we knew a lot about chickens but little about turkeys, which made us reluctant to step into this unknown world.’ By the end of 2019, Life-Science Innovations and HatchTech got together and started discussing how they could collaborate and create value for the turkey industry. Through many trials and extensive adjustments, because a turkey is not just a big chicken, they managed to make a working early feeding system for turkeys, based on HatchCare.

A turkey is not just a big chicken

Joost ter Heerdt (l) and Peter Gruhl (r) proudly showing the HatchCare basket.

Huge improvements

A turkey specialist for more than 30 years, Peter Gruhl was involved in the development process for an early feeding system from the start. Over the years, he often saw producers struggling with poor liveability and young poult performance fi gures. He was jealous of how the broiler industry solved this issue. ‘We did a lot of testing with early feeding and saw a huge improvement in performance and drop in poult mortality’, Peter says. ‘I got so excited about the results that I did not have to think twice when I was asked to become sales director at Life-Science Innovations with a special focus on HatchTech hatchery equipment for turkeys. As the HatchCare system for turkeys rapidly came closer to market readiness, I got more and more energised when telling turkey growers in the US, Canada and even Europe all about the unbelievable improvements in poult welfare and performance. Traditionally, turkey poults undergo a lot of handling between hatch and dispatch, which causes a lot of stress and welfare issues resulting in high mortality rates. When using HatchCare, we experienced a signifi cant drop in mortality, improved welfare, better bodyweight, and better feed conversion. Especially the latter two fi gures were that good during our trials that we decided not to release these fi gures just yet. We need more results before we do. But like in chickens, early feeding supports the development of the intestinal tract and will contribute to better health.’ Peter therefore strongly states: ‘After more than 15 years of a sort of status quo in turkey management developments, the relatively conservative turkey industry will embrace the new feeding system, maybe even more so than the broiler industry.’

New company

Life-Science Innovations and HatchTech strongly believe in the future of the HatchCare system for turkeys and created a new distribution company, called Next Nest (nextnesthatching.com), to present this turkey technology to the turkey industry. ‘I have been asked to help customers fulfi l the potential of this exciting and profi table innovation in the turkey production chain from the hatchery through live production and into the plant.’

I got so excited about the results

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