Canadian Study Shows Benefits of Precision Feeding of Broiler Breeders
CANADA - A study is being conducted on Precision Broiler Breeder Feeding System in order to be able to get the bodyweight information needed from every individual bird.The study has been funded by the Canadian Poultry Council (PIC), under the leadership of Dr Martin Zuidhof, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta.
The system allows individual birds to be weighed and their feed intake to be adjusted accordingly so they are productive without gaining excessive weight.
One researcher described the system as allowing each bird to tell its own story to the producer and it has reduced bodyweight variation between birds by more than a half.
Researchers expect the greater uniformity and the greater precision to increase production, from around the Canadian average of 120 chicks per hen to 140 chicks.
The system also offers possibilities for better health and welfare of the birds, which are able to eat to a more natural rhythm of every five hours, rather than just once a day, as on many commercial farms today.
Other advantages suggested are labour-savings as the birds do not need to be weighed individually by hand and there is no need to feed the males and females separately.
For more information on precision feeding of broiler breeders, click on the video clip below.