PHOTO: H. RISWICK
ECONOMICS ▶▶▶
Consequences of stopping ‘thinning’ in broiler production
To get the most out of a broiler house while remaining within the regulatory boundaries, EU broiler producers often harvest their flocks in two steps. About 25% of the birds go to the processor at day 35 at 1700 grams, the rest at day 42 at 2500 grams. Ending partial depopulation will reduce profits and demand higher market and retail prices to compensate the farm.
BY TONY MCDOUGAL F 34
lock ‘thinning’ is often used in broiler production to optimise the use of farm space and rear a larger num- ber of birds, while still respecting EU regulations that set the maximum stocking density at 42 kg/m2
. With
partial depopulation the maximum density permitted by law is reached faster, so part of the flock is sent for slaughter earli- er while the remaining animals continue until the end of the production round. But the practice does constitute a serious risk to farm bio- security in that it can lead to the introduction of various pathogens to the flock, including Campylobacter spp. Partial depopulation is also stressful to the broilers that are deprived of food and water several hours before the arrival of the catching crew. The catching crew may introduce Campylo- bacter into the flock, as the bacteria has been found on boots, clothing and other equipment prior to being used during the partial depopulation. Past research too, has found broiler transport crates to be contaminated with Campylobacter. Researchers from the University of Ghent, Belgium, looked at whether depopulating flocks could increase the risk of intro- ducing Campylobacter spp into the poultry house. In Belgium under conventional production, approximately a quarter of the flock are slaughtered at 35 days and the remaining birds culled at 42 days. A simulation was carried out to evaluate the production consequences of ‘thinning’. In the study, the production of a house in which partial depopulation of 25% of the flock was performed at 35 days of age prior to the final slaughter at 42 days, was compared with a production system where partial depopulation was not performed. The differ- ences in production cost, profit and technical performance parameters were evaluated.
Depending on how many day-old chicks are placed, EU farmers can easily exceed the 42 kg/m2
thinning the flock by 25-30% at day 35. ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 6, 2022 maximum density permitted. That can be prevented by
Results The model indicated that stopping partial depopulation reduces the production by 16-24%, which results in 14% less profit per kg of liveweight, and a 31% profit reduction per production cycle. To compensate for the profit loss, it would be necessary to increase the meat price by 3% from a starting price of 87.44 cents. The researchers reported that for current conventional broiler production, it may be financially chal- lenging to stop partial depopulation practices. Instead, focus- ing on external biosecurity to avoid the introduction of Cam- pylobacter into poultry houses may be the best compromise.
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