CONFERENCE ▶▶▶


Consistently improving poultry farming processes


Cutting carbon emissions in the egg sector, the welfare versus the environment debate over slower growing birds and the latest on-farm hatchery developments were key areas of discussion at this year’s poultry meat and egg sessions at the Pig and Poultry Forum. Poultry World has the details.


BY TONY MCDOUGAL I


nnovative solutions are required from across the industry to help free-range egg producers become more carbon- efficient. A study by consultants Promar International found the largest contributor to emissions on a free range


egg farm was bought-in feed which typically makes up more than 85% of an egg’s carbon footprint. Promar used figures provided by two free range units: a 64,000 bird multi-tier op- eration across two sheds and a 12,700 bird flat-deck system. Figures from the multi-tier system, run by Martin and Nikki Lawrence from Llandrindod Wells, showed that 1kg of eggs produced 3kgs of CO2


equivalent, with the smaller flat-deck


farm showing 3.44kg. The Lawrences have planted 85 acres with trees over the past five years and have 50kW of roof-mounted solar panels on one shed but can’t install more of them because they cannot access the required grid capacity. Martin said: “At the start of the project I thought feed would account for around 50% but it was actually 85% of our emissions. As a producer it would be very difficult to bring that down on farm”. James Baxter, British Free Range Egg Producers Association (Bfrepa) chair- man, said he hoped the findings would help start positive contributions – involving the whole supply chain – about what can be done to help farmers continue to play their part in producing food sustainably. Promar said there were a number of practical measures avail- able to free range producers: • C overing litter and manure storage: 2.5-3% potential emission reduction


12 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 5/6, 2021


• A 5% increase in laying rates: 5% • Prolong flock laying cycles: 2-5% • Closely review and monitor protein content in rations and aim to reduce them: 1-5%


• Installing renewable energy capture and storage on-farm with batteries: 2-4%


• Export manure to an aerobic digester: 5-7%


Slow growing birds Slower growing broilers are increasing in importance and are here to stay but consumers need greater knowledge of why they are expected to pay more at retailers. Patrick Nicholls, technical manager at Hubbard, highlighted key issues for slower growth chicken management, saying chicks needed more attention in the first week than conventional broilers as they had a lower feed and water intake, lower growth rate and produced less heat. However, a periodic social group is normal for slower growing breeds in the first few days and should not be confused with chilling. As water intake is lower, good hygiene is vital and they should have fresh water at start up, along with regular flushing of the system. The use of supplementary drinkers for the first 24-72 hours is beneficial. Nicholls said that at day one the chicks should have a slightly higher ambient temperature (+1ºC) with a targeted vent temperature of 39.5-40.5ºC. For free range systems, the tem- perature needs to be reduced quicker and producers should look at a target of 23ºC at 21 days. Litter should not be too dry as that can cause skin scratches or dermatitis, and ventila- tion should be changed according to the number of birds in the house, longer growing period and growth curve. Farmers should aim to have 50 lux lighting at placement, reducing this in the first 7 days. Light intensity which is too high could drive the chicks to the outside walls. Short dark periods should start from day one and lights should be on from 3am as that will enable the birds to be active during the coldest part of the day. Age at change of feed form is important: birds should be on a crumb diet until they weigh 300g (12-14 days for JA757). Mini pellets with an optimum 2.5mm diameter can be fed


PHOTO: PETER ROEK


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