The location of this impressive project is Hernad, approximately 50 kilometres south-east of Budapest. Four of these houses are used for rearing, the other five for hatching egg production. The equipment for the 113,000 bird places was purchased from the German poultry equipment supplier Big Dutchman. On site, the project was planned and realised by Big Dutchman’s Hungarian agency HAT-AGRO Group. The Bro-Ker-Bét group is considered one of the five largest hatching egg producers in Hungary. During a festive ceremony, Hungary’s Minister of Agriculture, István Nagy, recently inaugurated the new farm.

The decision to purchase the entire facility’s equipment from Big Dutchman was taken after a visit to a breeder farm in Poland. “We really loved the Relax 2.0 nest,” says Gabor Kiszel, managing director of the Bro-Ker-Bét group.

The Hungarian customer is not alone with this preference for the Relax nest: Since it was introduced to the market not quite ten years ago, this colony nest has become one of Big Dutchman’s big sellers. The first model proved itself to be a great asset for the production of high-quality hatching eggs in many poultry houses, and the enhanced Relax 2.0 nest promises to continue this story of success.

Relax 2.0

“We have adjusted some characteristics. The nest roof has a new shape, making it even more stable and easier to clean, among other benefits,” explains Big Dutchman product engineer Eike Wienken.

The roof is still divided into two parts. “The farmers really appreciate that they can lift the roof parts separately,” notes Wienken. The feature allows for easy monitoring of the nest and the egg belt.

The three-point bearing of the egg belt was not changed either. The triangular holes and the high share of holes overall lower the eggs’ speed, ensure a stable position during transport and minimise contact between egg and egg belt. This reduces the number of cracked and dirty eggs.

Additional modifications:

• two different egg belt widths (40 cm / 50 cm), both available with and without separating strip;
• higher nest acceptance due to a changed entrance height;
• even easier assembly.

Big Dutchman equipment for breeder management

Rearing healthy breeders and creating the ideal environment for successful hatching egg production is a complex task. Apart from the farmer’s management skills, the equipment plays a decisive role. Feeding, lighting, climate control: all components must be perfectly adjusted so the birds are happy and the results are good.

To meet the high demands of breeder management, the Bro-Ker-Bét group chose the following Big Dutchman solutions (a selection):

• House climate | CombiTunnel ventilation: Two ventilation systems are combined in such a way that the climate can always be adjusted to meet the birds’ needs, even in regions with significant temperature fluctuations.
• House lighting | The houses are illuminated efficiently and at low cost with the FlexLED HO tube lamp. This ceiling and aisle lighting system has a very high light output.
• Poultry house management | A ViperTouch climate and production computer manages and monitors the individual houses. BigFarmNet, a management system that unites all applications on the farm in one software and one database, shows its strength in the houses for hatching egg production. Alarms, feeding, lighting or silo control: poultry managers can make their inputs at any farm computer or using their smartphone.