Dutch hatchery supplies older broiler chicks
Dutch hatchery Unibroed Van Lith has started to supply baby chicks that are a few days old to growers. These chicks have a better performance on the growing farm and a better surviving rate.
The hatched chicks are not immediately supplied to the farmers. After hatch they are kept in a controlled environment with special feeds at the hatchery.
According to Unibroed these older chicks arrive older and stronger at the grower farm. They have a better disease resistance, which positively influences the whole growing period.
Apart from lower disease costs, lower antibiotic use and lower mortality the broiler chicks grow better, which shortens the growing period and enables to run more batches per year. This also has a positive effect on the income of the farmer.
Hatchbrood system
After hatching the broiler chicks are moved to the Hatchbrood system for several days. In this system the birds get special feed and water in a controlled environment.
Unibroed says that if the broiler chicks are kept in this system for several days they pass the most critical period of the growing stage, because in the first three days baby chicks cannot control their body temperature and act as a cold blooded animal.
Unibroed believes that with this “Broods-concept” as the more-than-one-day-old chicks are called the hatchery can differentiate itself in the market and help the grower to achieve better technical performances.
Apart from these older broiler chicks the hatchery continues supplying regular day-old chicks.
HatchBrood is a subsidiary of hatchery equipment manufacturer HatchTech Group
Join 31,000+ subscribers
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about all the need-to-know content in the poultry sector, three times a week.
