FARM VISIT ▶▶▶
in-barn hatching, but both were better than conventional hatching. However, McAleer explains that they are going to try in-barn hatching on a larger scale. “Because we are inte- grated, it provides a good opportunity to take the pressure off our Hatchcare system in terms of bacterial load if we can do some in-barn hatching and reduce the number of chicks inside each Hatchcare box,” he says.
Every-day feeding McAleer switched his pullets from skip-day feeding to every-day feeding (EDF) in 2013. Skip-day feeding involves giving feed to broiler breeder pullets every second day to control growth. It is widely practiced in Canada, the US and some other countries but is banned in the European Union. McAleer decided to explore EDF due to intussusception and less-aggressive pullets not getting enough feed on feeding days. On off-feed days, the pullets were scratching a lot which caused shavings to enter and jam the chain feeders. The switch to EDF involved providing a bulky fine-grind feed, making feedline modifications and feeding in the dark to keep pullets calm. In addition, McAleer and his team sep- arate aggressive and non-aggressive eaters by weight at day 18 into different pens. In 2018 he decided to create a system for the feedlines involving covers that are lifted up once the feedlines are full. This ensures all birds get equal access to their feed. McAleer says the four ‘Flock Awards’ he and his team have received prove that top-performing flocks can use EDF. Sev- eral US poultry companies, including Cobb, have sent repre- sentatives to see McAleer’s EDF success and he also did a presentation on his practices in the US in 2019.
The key to suc- cess is people, attracting the right person for the job and treating staff well helps Synergy to reach its goals.
Scotia and some in the nearby province of Prince Edward Is- land. Their longest chick delivery transport time is 5.5 hours. Before 2015 they had another hatchery supplying them with chicks but that year Synergy launched the operation of their own hatchery with Hatchtech/Hatchcare technology. With this style of hatchery chicks have access to feed and water on hatching, thus preventing dehydration. However, Synergy has been conducting trials in 2021 com- paring chick performance under Hatchcare, conventional hatching and in-barn hatching. “In-barn hatching has really caught our attention,” says McAleer. “We’re interested in see- ing the advantages of it. When you hatch in a hatchery, so many eggs are hatching, it’s a very dense and humid envi- ronment, and bacteria are being released from the eggs. This results in disease challenge. With in-barn hatching, the bacteria load is zero because it’s a big space with lots of ventilation.” Two trials have been carried out and the results were the same. There was no difference in performance between Hatchcare (at full capacity with 90 chicks per box) and
46 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 10, 2021
Teamwork Returning to the high quality of the Synergy team – which numbers 21 in all – McAleer says it’s a matter of attracting ex- cellent people and treating them better than they are treated at most other companies. This means competitive wages, benefits, summer and Christmas parties, bonuses and more. “It’s a lot of little things,” says McAleer. “Our team members enjoy working for us and we have no staff turnover. We have open lines of communication and we’re flexible to meet their needs. It’s important to have a personal connection and we care about each one of our workers.” And, he adds, winning a Cobb award for the fourth year feels really good to everyone. The awards continue to be a source of pride and motivation. In terms of future goals, McAleer is quick to mention that he knows constant improvement will continue. “We’re going to be better moving forward than we were,” he says. “I think our goal in the next year or two will be to try to be more efficient. It’s going to be about making little changes to lighting, temperature, feed and so on. We’ll also continue to work with the genetics companies as they are keen to know what we’re discovering.”
PHOTO: SYNERGY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
