Cargill opens new HatchBrood facility in China

Cargill Animal Protein’s new HatchBrood facility in China is now fully operational with the first round of production being completed on October 28th 2015.

The facility is located in the rural town of Bantazhen in the Anhui province and is equipped with 10 HatchBrood units. The current total brooding capacity is 25 million chicks per year and the building is designed for a future expansion up to over 65 million chicks per year. A unique feature of this building is the two-storey design, which results in a 50% footprint reduction.

Controlled environment

In this facility day-old chicks are being brooded in an optimally controlled environment during the crucial four days post-hatch. Chicks enjoy benefits like generous living space, uniform laminar airflow and direct access to light, feed and water, resulting in a lower mortality rate and reduced antibiotic use.

“I am convinced that providing the chicks with an optimal start will result in improved performance in the field,” says Salomon Carias, senior agricultural engineer at Cargill China. “Additionally, it also allows us to reduce the cycle-time in our farms, enabling us to increase the number of cycles per year.”