New South African hatchery wins major contract

Cobb South Africa’s newest customer — Opti Chicks (Pty) — is now producing 500,000 chicks per week in the Lichtenburg hatchery in North West Province, South Africa.

Opti Chicks is a new company started by NWK, a reputable agriculture-based business, to supply day-old chicks for the North West province, the biggest broiler growing area of South Africa.

“Although the business is new to the chick industry, the manager Jaco Viljoen is highly experienced,” says Pieter Oosthuysen, Manager of Cobb South Africa. “He has done an excellent job in planning and building the rearing and laying complex as well as the hatchery. They were seeking a partner within the industry to guide them and buy the bulk of their production. Rainbow Farms accepted the offer and now take 350,000 out of the 500,000 chicks hatched each week, with the rest sold to the free market.”