FARM VISIT ▶▶▶
from two breeding companies to keep them on their toes”. The average feed conversion is 1.55. “We unload in between rounds at 35 days when they weigh around 2 kilograms (live weight).” Most of the chicks are caught with a catching ma- chine used by the poultry service company that Ghyselen works with. Animal welfare continues to be a hot topic in Belgium and France, according to the broiler farmer. “Animal rights’ activ- ists in Belgium, however, are more concerned with farms that produce foie gras and related products. Broiler farms are not that bothered by activists right now. I have the advan- tage that I am located on an airbase: animal rights’ activists would be arrested on the spot if they even got near the base. In France, people are now starting to become more assertive towards animal rights’ activists. They have even established a sort of civil defence organisation to protect their farmers.”
Son takes over the farm Succession is probably guaranteed because Gerbert (20), Ghyselen’s son, wants to take over the farm. At the moment he works as a furniture maker and operates his company from home. “The airbase has no problems with my son taking over,” says Ghyselen. For now, there are no plans for a fourth poultry house but the family is planning on replacing the old equip- ment and introducing some innovations. The inlet flaps in the two oldest poultry houses will be replaced by valves.
Ghyselen hopes that by doing this he will be able to keep the climate in the poultry houses even better under control. “Af- ter 25 years, they really need to be replaced.” Not least because the poultry farmer saw outside tempera- tures reach 42°C last year. Shockingly high, despite their prox- imity to the sea. “This is why we placed water misting installa- tions in our poultry houses this spring. We hope to keep the temperature inside eight degrees lower than it was last summer to prevent heat stress.”
An aerial view of the farm in the middle of the airfield.
The driveway of the farm
doubles as a taxi runway for the Belgian air force.
▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 8, 2020
13
PHOTO: DICK VAN DOORN
PHOTO: DICK VAN DOORN
PHOTO: ERIC DELANGHE
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