World Poultry

www.WorldPoultry.net

Perspectives and challenges Perspectives and challenges for the EU egg sectorfor the EU egg sector

Middle East countries exploring new chances

Genomic selection assists genetic progress

No 04 • Volume 27 • 2011

11WOP004_Cover 111WOP004_Cover 1 4/27/2011 11:21:16 AM4/27/2011 11:21:16 AM

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GLOBAL UPDATE 4News from around the world

REGIONAL FOCUS 6Middle East countries exploring the way ahead

MARKET 10Perspectives and challenges for the EU egg sector

NUTRITION 14Protein improves health and performance of molted layers

EGGS 17IEC conference in London

BREEDING 18Genomic selection brings more genetic progress

WELFARE 22Free range behaving birds produce less eggs

EGG PROCESSING 26Alternative options for handling seconds

COLUMN / EVENTS / PEOPLE 29Corn prices at record high

BREEDING 30Danish Hellevad chicken could hold key to robust health

NUTRITION 33Fish or eggs, what about both?

FARM REPORT 36Central Coast Farms, California

REVIEW 38A new tool in poultry research

RESEARCH 41

10

3618

11WOP004_Contents 311WOP004_Contents 3 4/27/2011 11:23:42 AM4/27/2011 11:23:42 AM

| WORLDPOULTRY.NET | World Poultry4

VIV Turkey showcase for Turkish marketTurkey From June 9-11, VIV Turkey will take place in the Istanbul Expo Center in Istanbul, Turkey. As hardly any swine are produced in Turkey the show will primarily focus on poultry and egg production. This makes VIV Turkey to some extent diff erent from other VIV shows. Yet, a wide range of exhibitors will be on display in Istanbul, making the show bigger then previous editions. All fl oor space was sold out at a very early stage. Two years ago the show attracted 6520 visitors of which 900 were from overseas. This year the show surface has been increased by 45%, to 8,000 square meters.VIV fairs are staged in seven diff erent countries by VNU Exhibitions Holland. The Turkish VIV Turkey is organised every other year exclusively under license by HKF Trade Fairs. The importance of this platform for the Turkish poultry industry by bringing together the fore-most egg and poultry producers along with the providers of equipment and services while also helping to promote increased production and international trade was underscored by Bekir Çakici, General Manager of HKF Trade Fairs: “The poultry industry has begun to respond to the investment of recent years by a rapid acceleration that is continuously ongoing. According to data from the Besd-Bir association and the Turkish Exporters Association, up until recently the poultry industry accounted an export value of 85 million dollars. Within 12 months this had almost doubled to 150 million dollars. At the top of the export list comes Iraq who imported 92 million dollars, with the remainder of the exports being focused on the markets of the Middle-East, Far-East and the countries of the Caucasus and Balkans.

At VIV Turkey, the Turkish poultry industry will be showing visitors how they have managed to double production over the last ten years while at the same time maintaining internationally recognised levels of health and hygiene and encouraging increased consumption. Concurrently with the show, participating companies will provide a series of seminars. Among them are Ross Breeders Anadolu, Pfi zer, Nutriline, Bakın Tarım and Idah Machinery (China).VIV Turkey will be open daily between 10.00 and 19.00. Entrance to the fair is free to trade visitors. Registering is possible at www.vivturkey.com. There will be a free shuttle bus service between the fair ground and the central Taksim Square. The fair is also well connected by public transport with its own Metro station connecting it to both the International Atatürk Airport and down-town Aksaray.

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11WOP004_GlobalUpdate 411WOP004_GlobalUpdate 4 4/27/2011 11:25:01 AM4/27/2011 11:25:01 AM


GLOBAL UPDATE

THOUGHTS

www.worldpoultry.net/blogs

MORE UPDATES

Cherkizovo opens new poultry facilitiesRussia Cherkizovo Group, one of Russia’s leading integrated and diversi-fi ed meat producers, has opened its second line of the poultry facility at its Bryansk cluster. The second line of the poultry facility consists of 26 bird houses, with a combined capacity of almost 880,000 broilers. The houses will be populated from the group’s own hatcheries, and equipped with state-of-the-art technologies. The fi rst line of the facility, also incorporating 26 bird houses, was launched in autumn 2010. The total investment constructing the fi rst and second lines at this facility is approximately US $29.5 million. During the fi rst stage of the Bryansk capacity increase project, the construction of 11 additional houses at the existing facilities were completed. Both stages of the Bryansk project are expected to be completed in 2012. In 2010, the Bryansk poultry cluster had a capacity of 38,200 tonnes of live weight poultry meat; the comple-tion of this project will see that rise to 85,000 tonnes. Cherkizovo also recently announced that it has started building a huge poultry complex worth $685 million in Elets, making it the largest Russian agro-industrial project in the central Russian Lipetsk region.

Marfrig creates joint venture in China Brazil/China Brazilian meat packer Marfrig Alimentos has announced the creation of two joint ventures in order to explore opportunities to supply food products and meet the growing demand for distribution in the Chinese market, including a $57 million investment in a poultry vertical integration. The Keystone-Chinwhiz poultry vertical integration will ini-tially have capacity to process 200,000 birds/day and will be able to supply 50% of the raw material needs of Keystone’s processing unit in China. The unit already serves over 2,600 restaurants in China, Hong Kong and Japan.

India caps antibiotic use in poultry India A new policy is to be introduced in India putting a cap on how much antibiotics can be used in producing poultry products and seafood. The National Policy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance has named common antibiotics like tetracycline, oxytetracycline, trimethoprim and oxolinic acid, which “shall not exceed the prescribed tolerance limit”. The use of over 20 antibiot-ics or pharmacologically active substances has been prohibited in seafood and poultry products.Professor Randeep Guleria from AIIMS, a part of the task force, said, “Antibiotics are used by farmers to prevent infection in fi sh or poultry. However, till now there was no limitation. We didn’t want such fi sh or meat to enter the food chain and lead to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in humans who eat it. That’s why we have fi xed limits”. Dr Ranjit Roychoudhury, a task force member and well known clinical pharmacologist added, “poultry are fattened and fi sh are made bigger by pumping antibiotics and hormones for a better price. Eating such products on a regular basis can cause antibiotic resistance in humans.”

MORE UPDATES

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The countdown to January 2012 has begun. From that moment, no traditional cages will be allowed any more in the European Union. It will then be clear to see if all the member states have been able to comply with the EU directive on this matter, and if they don’t, if the EU will apply any sanctions. Still it is not sure yet what will happen. Recently, Poland suggested to postpone the offi cial date. But logically, those countries that are likely to fully meet with the new standards, rejected this proposal. Also animal rights activists, expressed their concerns at the Polish embassies in a number of European countries, making clear that no delay is acceptable. Apart from the EU, also the US state of California will move towards alternative systems. There, in November 2008 proposition 2 was accepted, also prescribing a ban on traditional cages from 2015. This is only a seven year transition period, whereas EU countries have had the chance to switch over a period of 13 years. That is quite a diff erence. And not just that, California is the only US state so far where this is going to happen. Initially, legislation was not clear, making it diffi cult for Californian producers to switch. Now, they have gained knowledge on this matter and it seems that they are gradually making the transition. This is also due to the fact that no cage eggs from other US states may be sold in California from that moment. That makes it easier for Californian producers to take the next step. The situation in the EU is diff erent, of course. The EU consists of 27 diff erent member states, all having their own history and all having their own market conditions. Some have been members since the early beginning of the Union, but others joined only few years ago. Producers in some countries were in a more favourable position than others and still are. So it’s no surprise that not all member states will have fully switched to alternative systems before the due date. But those producers who will meet EU standards, have shown to be willing to innovate. Although the egg business is a vulnerable business and never guarantees good market prices, these are early adapters who are willing to take a risk and should be duly rewarded. Those member states that don’t fully comply with the new standards, should admit that. The directive was approved by the EU parliament. There’s no way back. Eggs that are still produced in traditional cages in 2012, should therefore be banned from the EU market. The train for modern style production has left.

Ad BalEditor

The train has left

11WOP004_GlobalUpdate 511WOP004_GlobalUpdate 5 4/27/2011 11:25:03 AM4/27/2011 11:25:03 AM


The Middle East is the geographic region where Europe, Africa, and Asia meet. It is the term that now generally refers to the Arab World which consists of inde-pendent countries spread over the south eastern part of Asia, all North Africa and most of the eastern part of Africa. These countries are rich in natural resources including petrol, minerals, fi sh, and fer-tile land, with a surface area amounting to about 1352 million hectares, which is about 10% of the world’s surface.

By Dr. Salah H. Esmail, Cairo, Egypt

Middle East countries Middle East countries exploring the way aheadexploring the way ahead

Compared to world averages, the per capita consumption

of poultry and eggs in the Middle East is still relatively low.

A scenario of making poultry products accessible for a

wider public, is possible however. That demands improved

strategies.

The people from these regions are great consumers of red meat, particularly mutton and lamb, and do not eat pork, except in the small Christian communi-ties living all over the Arab world. Poul-try meat and eggs are the second largest group of foods consumed, indicating the signifi cance of poultry meat and eggs.

Vast diff erence in consumptionGiven in Table 1 are the per capita produc-tion values of poultry meat and eggs in the Arab world (2010), with the popula-tion of each country to determine the total production. There is, of course, a vast diff erence in per capita consumption between Arab countries, as evidenced by the values reported for example in Sudan (0.8 kg of meat and 24 eggs) relative to those reported for Kuwait (35.2 kg of meat and 212 eggs). In Table 2, the per

capita production values for the devel-oped countries are provided along with the average world values for comparison. It is obvious here that the per capita production of poultry meat and eggs in the Arab world is relatively low compared with the world average, and is even lower when compared with the reported values for some developed countries.

Five contributing factorsThe reduced poultry industry perform-ance in the Arab world could be classi-fi ed into the fi ve following contributing factors:

1 Economic factorsUnder utilisation of the full capacity of poultry farms, especially in the private sector, contributes to increasing produc-tion costs, reduced profi ts and hence

11WOP004_Middle East 611WOP004_Middle East 6 4/26/2011 1:39:46 PM4/26/2011 1:39:46 PM


REGIONAL FOCUS

reduced investment attractiveness indi-cators. This results in an increase of the fi xed costs. Lack of enough parent stock scales and the dependence on import of chickens (and eggs) at higher prices are also an economic factor.

2 Feed supplyIn the Arab countries, with the exception of the Gulf region, the central feed plants barely produce suffi cient feed to meet the poultry industry requirements. This has forced most private farms to buy rations from unauthorised local feed mills. Such feeds often have inadequate nutrients and feed additives, and often have a high level of mould. This is largely responsible for the modest performance, low feed effi ciency, and the prevalence of nutri-tional diseases observed in most birds. In addition, the feed batches obtained from such sources are usually mixed with drug preparations (lysine, methionine, coccidiostats, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc) through vertical mixers which are not capable of producing homogenous feed mixtures. As a result some feed batches might contain surplus drugs, while others contain only traces or none of it. Either of these cases would have a negative eff ect on the response of chickens to the drug treatment and hence on production.

3 Disease problemsInfectious diseases such as Newcastle, gumboro, fowl pox, coccidiosis, and

infectious bronchitis are common, and in a few instances salmonella and E. coli occur in laying fl ocks. In recent years, infectious stunting syndrome has been introduced into some countries such as Libya, Jordan and Yemen via imported hatching eggs, and now aff ects over 20% of fl ocks presenting a major threat to the poultry industry. Avian infl uenza has also been recently introduced to some Arab countries and resulted in dramatic losses. In Egypt, for example, the total produc-tion of poultry meat and eggs dropped in 2006 to 20% of the current value, and the country has lost more than EGP 17 billion of investments in this sector. None infectious diseases such as white muscle disease, lameness, rickets, and tendolytis also prevail together with a variety of nutritional and parasite problems.

4 Marketing seasonalityThere is a kind of seasonality in regards to the demand for poultry meat and eggs. For example, during the Ramadan holy month, the consumption of poultry meat increases and that of table eggs decreases. On the other hand, consumption of eggs increases during the school year and then decreases during vacations. The lack of a contracted price system enlarges the negative impacts of this phenomenon on the producers and on the poultry industry as a whole.

5 Lack of governmental subsidiesThere is a lack of subsidies given by most

Country Population Poultry meat Egg (number (million) (kg per capita) per capita)Egypt 82.5 8.6 55

Sudan 40.6 0.8 24

Algeria 35.8 7.2 69

Morocco 32.5 10.1 140

Iraq 31.2 1.8 36

Saudi Arabia 25.7 23.2 102

Yemen 23.5 6.4 36

Syria 21.3 6.9 156

Tunisia 11.2 10.7 170

Libya 7.2 19.3 205

Jordan 6.5 22.3 132

UAE 4.8 11.8 120

Lebanon 4.3 16.3 169

Kuwait 3.1 35.2 212

Oman 2.6 6.1 68

Qatar 1.1 4.7 170

Bahrain 1.0 9.5 58

Average (Arab world) 11.8 112.8

Table 1 - Per capita consumption of poultry meat and eggs in the Arab World (2010).

Country Poultry meat Eggs (kg per capita) (number per capita)USA 58.6 305

Spain 28.4 340

Canada 33.5 221

France 22.3 292

Britain 24.8 183

Japan 11.4 334

Italy 13.2 216

Average (Total World) 14.5 158

Table 2 - Per capita consumption of poultry meat and eggs in selected industrial countries (2010).

In some countries, conditions for keeping poultry are not very modern making effective production diffi cult.

governments to national poultry farms, and this has forced many farms to close. Conversely, the poultry farmers in the Gulf region do receive subsidies from their governments. This has enabled a country like Saudi Arabia, for example, to not only achieve self-suffi ciency but to export over 50% of its annual produc-tion of poultry meat and eggs. The Saudi Arabian model, however, cannot be generalised to all Arab countries, espe-cially those currently undergoing revo-lutions such as Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and Bahrain. In these countries, the economy is becoming somehow unstable due to the increased demand of people for better social and living conditions, which leaves no chance for


REGIONAL FOCUS


would then be lowered by 5.8% with a re-sulting increase in sale rates and decrease in sale price.

Extension programmesProper feeding and management prac-tices should always be adopted when attempting to arrive at lower production costs and improved performance. Unfor-tunately, a great deal of business of poul-try and egg production in the Arab world is run by people outside the agricultural sector, who become fi nancially and technically involved. These people may not always be aware of the scientifi c basis of poultry feeding and management. Herein lies the importance of extension programmes involving widespread media such as radio and TV, which help these people to scientifi cally manage their poultry business.

Diagnosis and disease treatmentAlso, eff ective disease control pro-grammes should be established at all farm levels in order to alleviate the production losses indicated earlier. The use of proper drugs and vaccines, the rearing of poultry at moderate density, and the adoption of biosecurity measures for disposal of dead birds and for management of litter and waste feed should all be strictly enforced under the supervision of authorised vet-erinarians. It is not uncommon in most Arab countries to see farmers explaining their problems and trying to get the pre-scription through phone calls with the

veterinarians. This cannot be an eff ective way of diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and the little savings obtained here would not justify the losses resulting from such improper communication of the veterinarians.

Adopt integrated systemThe establishment of automated broiler processing plants and the cold storage units are important parts of the market-ing infrastructure for the broiler industry. It encourages stability in supply and demand and creates consist-ency and equilibrium in the market. Indirectly, such an aspect would raise productivity by facilitating the sale of broilers at optimum economic weight, thereby reducing the amount of feed consumed. Finally, the adoption of integrated poultry farming in the Arab world could be benefi cial, as it provides the required leap in effi ciency and pro-ductivity indispensable to making the industry more competitive. Under this system, agreements are made between farmers and companies that specify con-ditions for production and marketing. Such a system has recently been adopted in Iraq with improved performance over the traditional farming system (Table 3). The improvement here could be attributed, among other things, to the provision of technical assistance and fi nancial support, transfer of know-how, and allowing easy access to the market through the integrated system.

Iraq traditional Iraq integrated Δ % farming farming

Total production cost/kg $ 1.198 $ 0.891 -25%

Feeding costs $ 2.22 $ 1.44 -35%

Feed conversion rate 1: 2.80 1: 2.30 -18%

Mortality rate 10.5% 6% -43%

Feed ration cost/kg $ 0.33 $ 0.27 -18%

Day-old chicks 40g cost/head $ 0.313 $ 0.277 -12%

Table 3 - Traditional and integrated poultry farming in Iraq.

the governments to duly support the poultry sector or the like.

Improvement strategiesAt farm level, the utilisation of the full capacity of the farm will reduce the fi xed costs, including depreciation, mainte-nance, permanent labour, farm rent and management, and the opportunity costs of capital interest. Studies in Egypt, for example have shown that the increased lots of broilers in a given farm to fi ve lots per year instead of the current perform-ance of three lots will reduce the fi xed costs from 14% down to only 4.5%, with a resulting increase in sales rates due to reduced sale prices.The establishment of parent stock com-panies will also diminish the total cost of production. In case of broiler production, for example, the price of domestically produced chicks will be 29% less com-pared to the price of imported ones. As the chick price accounts for about 20% of the total production cost, the latter

Feed plants barely produce suffi cient feed to meet the poultry industry requirements, forcing

private farms to buy rations from unauthorised local feed mills.

The integrated large scale model is recommended in order to achieve optimal results and

high quality products.



For ten years and more, production systems within the EU have registered a strong diversifi cation, with a switch from cages to alternative housing systems, due fi rst to the new consumers’ expectations concerning animal welfare, and secondly to the European welfare regulation im-plementation. ITAVI and CNPO have carried out a short survey by questioning European experts in order to determine the changes in housing systems by 2012 and to provide some thoughts for the long term in order to enrich a French forecast driven by INRA, ITAVI and CNPO. Seven countries with a total of 214 million laying hens in 2010 (60% of the European hens) have answered this

survey. Within the EU, two thirds of the total number of laying hens were kept in cages in 2010, compared to 92% in 1996. Barn systems follow with 20% of the hens and free range with 10%. Organic production only represented 3% to 4% of the hens (Figure 1).

Specifi c national regulations Regulatory backgrounds and consumer demands are quite diff erent in the mem-ber states and explain the various national shares of the diff erent production sys-tems. Germany and the Netherlands have better anticipated the 2012 deadline, due to specifi c national regulations and under the pressure of the retailers who have banned all cage eggs (including enriched cages). In 2010, German eggs were already produced for over 90% in alternative systems while these systems in 2008 only represented 40% of laying hens. The share of alternative systems is ex-pected to grow in all the countries. High-er growths are expected in the United

Kingdom for free-range productions, and in the Netherlands for barn production. The Netherlands follows the same trends as Germany, but with a two years delay. The other countries, such as Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain are expecting a switch from conventional cages towards enriched cages rather than the barn system.In 2012, the share of alternative systems (codes 0-1-2) will grow in all the surveyed countries, and the share of cage systems will decrease from 43% to 13% in the Netherlands, from 78% to 66% in France and from 50 to 40% in the United Kingdom (Figure 2).

Thoughts for 2025 scenarios Several experts underlined the high level of investments needed in order to fulfi l the 2012 regulation and, in consequence, think that few changes will occur be-tween 2012 and 2025 or only after 2020. Long term egg consumption is expected to be slightly higher or stable in 2025

From 2012, egg producers in the EU must comply with new

standards for layer housing. A survey in eight important

member states makes clear that considerable differences

between countries exist. Prediction scenarios indicate

what long term production will look like.

Perspectives and challenges Perspectives and challenges for the EU egg sectorfor the EU egg sector

By Pascale

Magdelaine, ITAVI and

Véronique Gonnier

CNPO, France*

11WOP004_EU Eggs 1011WOP004_EU Eggs 10 4/27/2011 2:11:16 PM4/27/2011 2:11:16 PM


MARKET

because of good health and nutritional assets and less concerns about cholester-ol. Processed egg products should take an increasing part in the total egg consump-tion (up to 35-45%, depending on the country), due to a general trend towards convenience food. The egg processing industry is expected to develop its supply in alternative eggs (codes 0, 1 and 2) under the pressure of some users (food industry and catering industry) looking for a positive and animal welfare friendly image for their business and for their brand.

Import from third countriesNevertheless, the most shared concern is the risk of increased imports from third countries (United States, India, Argentina, and perhaps Brazil, but also Ukraine, Turkey and North Africa) to provide eggs for the processing industry. The barn eggs price and the results of a WTO agreement or of some bilateral negotiations such as EU-Mercosur will also be crucial. Some experts anticipate that, by 2025, the egg processing industry could import the main part of its needs from non EU countries. Al-though most of the experts questioned think the production units will keep concentrating, those production units will probably remain family farms and the growth of the average size will be limited by environmental constraints, in particular in the Netherlands and in Belgium. The contractual relations between the producers and their down-stream partners (industry and retailers) should tighten. In the United Kingdom, where the structures are already strongly concentrated and integrated, this trend could be more marked.

Scenarios for France in 2025The agricultural research and technical institutes INRA and ITAVI conducted a scenario exercise for the poultry industry in 2025 called “Aviculture 2025”. The French Egg Board used this analysis to work on a scenario-building for the egg sector in France in 2025. Three compo-nents gathered the main factors of the evolution for poultry sectors: public poli-cies, consumption and distribution sys-tems, and industrial strategies. From the

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Belgium DK Germany Spain France Italy 2009 NL UK

OrganicBarnFree rangeCage total

Figure 1 - Shares of the different housing systems in different members states in 2010 (Source ITAVI, from EU Commission 2010 and EU experts survey).

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Total Cages 2010

Total Cages 2012

Total Alternative systems 2010

Total Alternative systems 2012

Germany

The Neth

erlands

France

United K

ingdom

Belgiu

mDenm

ark Spain

Figure 2 - Perspectives of changes in housing systems in January 2012 by country.

Cage systems such as colony cages are used on a wide scale.(Photo: Salmet)


MARKET


MORE INFORMATION

www.itavi.asso.fr www.oeufs-asso.com [email protected]

results, we identifi ed some hypothesis and built four scenarios at 2025.

Scenario 1: Egg sector caught up in globalisationIn 2025, the European market is fully open and direct subsidies to agriculture no longer exist. With this scenario, egg consumption is stable or slightly decreas-ing, egg products consumption increases to reach 40 to 50% of the total egg con-sumption, depending on the economic situation. However, due to less European barriers, egg products imports increase to provide 30% of egg products needs in France.The French egg sector supplies mainly to the shell egg market. 50% of egg produc-tion comes from free range, 25% from enriched cages and 25% from aviaries indoor systems. But, the majority of egg imports come from cage eggs (85%).

Scenario 2: Egg sector looking for competitivenessIn 2025, the egg market is impacted by economic crisis, less purchasing power and health/nutrition development concerns. Egg consumption is increasing and egg products reach 40% of the egg market. European industry strategies have been developed and well-coordi-nated. Added to high tariff barriers, it has had a positive impact on the egg industry to be reorganised and modernised. The egg sector supplies a standardised market where price is the main purchase criteria. Egg farms are located where animal feed is cheap and near the consumption areas. Big farms directly linked with packing stations are the main way of production, with cage production (70% of egg produc-tion) or big aviaries in the case of a ban of cage eggs in retail. Egg products indus-tries are organised at the European level with some major companies. But, they supply egg products at the regional level. Share of farms dedicated to producing eggs for egg processing are increasing.

Scenario 3: Egg sector boosted by sustainable developmentIn 2025, Europe has used its experience and history of sustainable development to counter international competition and raise the quality of its agricultural

production by taking advantage of its technological skills and high consumer expectations. Meat consumption is decreasing when egg consumption is strongly increasing. Consumers prefer even more fresh, high-quality products because of concerns about health impacts, environmental protection and animal welfare. Egg products share decreases to 30%. Following ‘consumers’ and ‘citi-zens’ concerns, the retailers sell only non-cage eggs. 20% of production comes from cage farms to supply quasi exclu-sively egg processing industries.

Scenario 4: The egg sector joins the global food regulationMajor climate changes and global health epidemics have threatened world food supply and distribution. To manage a global risk of food shortage, the world community established an international organisation to help secure food sup-ply, distribution and quality across the globe. The regulation of food production and supply is furthermore essential to protect natural resources via sustainable methods of food production. Intensive production systems are developing as it is the only way to optimise the utilisa-tion of natural resources. The production needs to be located near consumption areas to optimise costs of transports and energy. Welfare concern is no more a pri-ority, fi rst of all humans needs to be fed. Alternative eggs in France are stabilised between 20 to 30% of the egg market. French egg production is strongly in-creasing to supply the world egg market, thanks to cage egg production being strongly rationalised and effi cient.

* In cooperation with Peter Van Horne (NL), Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst (Germany), John Newton (UK), Maria del Mar Fernández (Spain), Johann Zoons (Belgium) and Jørgen Nyberg Larsen (Denmark)

Enriched, barn, free-range, or organicEnriched cages - Cage area per hen should be at least 750 cm2.

Cages should be enriched with a nest, litter such that pecking

and scratching are possible, as well as appropriate perches.

Barn production - Hens can be kept on the fl oor or in multi-tier

systems. The stocking density must not exceed nine laying hens

per m2 usable area. If rearing systems are used where the laying

hens can move freely between different levels, there must be no

more than four levels.

Free-range production - The requirements are the same in the

building as for barn production. Also, hens have continuous

daytime access to open-air with maximum stocking density of

one hen per 4 m2.

Organic production - Hens are kept free range and should follow

specifi c rules such as using organic feed, and limiting the use of

veterinary treatments.

Egg consumption /inhabitant

Egg products market shares in consumption

Percentage of imports in consumption

Segmentation of egg production in France

Scenario to refer to 2008

230 30% 15% 80% code 3 20% codes 0, 1, 2

Scenario 1 230 40%- 50% 30 % (egg products)

25% code 3, 25% code 2 50% codes 0, 1

Scenario 2 240 40% 15% 70% codes 2, 3, 30% codes 0, 1

Scenario 3 260 30% 15% 20% code 3, 30% code 2, 50% codes 0, 1

Scenario 4 260 40% 15% 70-80% code 3, 20-30% codes 0, 1

Table 1 - Key data for the four French scenarios

Aviary and free range systems are well accepted in countries like the Netherlands and Germany. (Photo: Vencomatic)



The poultry sector is among the largest and still growing industries of Pakistan. According to the economic survey of Pakistan (2008-09) the total population of birds increased to 1,061 million in 2008-09, from 895 million in 2006-07, with the total including 28.42 million layers. The total egg production was 10,197 million in 2006-07 and in 2008-09 it was reported to be 11,258 million, similarly total poultry meat production also increased from the previous years which was 651 thousand tonnes in 2008-09. Yet the max-imum production potential of our com-mercial layer could be further explored and in this regard technical know how and skills should be assessed and sum-marised to make more comprehensive future recommendations. In the process of the production cycle as the layers get older, their egg production and egg ex-ternal quality decreases. Forced/induced molting is still a common practice all over the world to restore their reproduc-tive system capacity, and promote a new laying cycle.

Induced moltingIn the avian species the phenomenon of self molting is a natural thing in which the bird may lose up to 50 % of their body weight after a phase of fasting. The concept of this natural molt was brought into the practice of artifi cially induced

molting in the commercial layer indus-try, which is used to rejuvenate and boost the reproductive tract for the beginning of next production cycle. Among the dif-ferent molting techniques the generally in practice method for the induction of molt is feed withdrawal. Dietary zinc has also been used by many researchers to induce the molt and it has been proved to be a better inducer of molt as compared to other molting techniques. A previous study of our lab proved the effi ciency of

zinc induced molting over fast induced molting regarding the immune status and dynamics of pituitary hormone produc-ing cells. Based on this study and other literature reports, zinc induced molting was selected in the current study to induce the molt in white leg horn birds at the end of their fi rst production cycle.

Effi cacy of supplementationThere were some studies in literature regarding the supplementation in the

The effect of supplementation with protein, probiotics and

symbiotics in diets of molted layers was examined in a

trial in Pakistan. From this research it became clear that

supplementation especially with extra protein shows an

overall improvement in health biomarkers, immune status

and production performance of these birds.

Protein improves health and performance of molted layers

By Dr. Haseeb Anwar and Dr. Zia-ur-Rahman, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

11WOP004_Forced molting 1411WOP004_Forced molting 14 4/27/2011 2:10:37 PM4/27/2011 2:10:37 PM


NUTRITION

diet of molted layers to get early recovery from the molting stress, better produc-tion performance and health status which is now a growing fi eld of interest. The current study was designed in this context to seek benefi cial impact of sup-plementation (protein, symbiotic and probiotic) in the improvement of post molt production performance and health status of the layers. Some researchers have reported the positive eff ect of sup-plementation with protein and follicle stimulating hormones in molted nera black hens regarding the early recovery from the post molt stress and better performance. The most common non pathogenic habitant microorganisms of the intestine like Lactobacilli and Bifi do-bacterium are more sensitive to the stress. The process of induced molting is also a type of stress in which these microorgan-isms were most commonly compensated in birds. So the supplementation of these probiotic microbes in the post molt rest phase can augment the effi cacy of in-duced molting. Probiotics (meaning ‘‘for life’’) are defi ned as microbial cell prepa-rations commonly having Lactobacilli, Bifi dobacterium and yeast that have a benefi cial eff ect on the health and well-being of the host. Moreover the use of microbial cell preparations in replacing the antibiotics is also a better substitu-tion after the emerging issue of antibiotic resistance. The supplementation with 2% extra crude protein (CP 18% rather 16%), probiotic (Protexin) and symbiotic (Perfectin) in the molted layers was thus experimented in the current study. A non supplemented, receiving CP 16% diet group of molted birds was also studied parallel as control group to compare the effi cacy of supplementation. The study was novel in an aspect as there were no reports in literature available regarding the effi cacy of these supplementations on the biological health markers, serum biochemistry, immune status and production performance (egg production and quality) of molted layers.

Biological health markersThe enhanced generations of reactive oxygen species and the reduced defences by low production of endogenous anti-oxidants/decreased intake in the diet

are some common factors towards the development of oxidative stress. The study of oxidative health markers and related enzymes in response to these supplementation programmes will be of prime importance. The supplemen-tation in the current study did show a signifi cant response in decreasing the total oxidant status and homocysteine level alongside increasing the total anti-oxidant capacity of the body in molted birds. The improvement in the total antioxidant capacity was seen due to the increase in antioxidant related enzymes (Paraoxonase, Arylesterase and cerulo-plasmin) activity. This positive response was more prominent in the protein sup-plemented group.

Hormonal profi leDespite the increase in the triglyceride concentration in the supplemented groups, signifi cantly improved level of HDL cholesterol along with a decrease in the LDL cholesterol and total choles-terol after supplementation is depicting the healthy sign of supplementation, specifi cally with the probiotic supple-mentation. The triiodothyronine (T3; metabolic hormone) concentration was signifi cantly improved in all the sup-plemented groups, which could be attrib-uted to the enhanced metabolism after the supplementation. The increase in the circulatory cortisol after the fast induced molting in layers was reported. They re-ferred it to the impact of stress conferred by the fasting, used to induce the molt. The reduction in the cortisol level in all the supplemented groups after molting is indicating the better relief from stress in these groups as compared to the control.

Supplementation and immune statusIn the humoral immunity the NDV geo-metric mean titer (GMT) was found to be high in all the supplemented groups. The EDS GMT was high in the protein sup-plemented group throughout the study period, however at the end of produc-tion it was high in all the supplemented groups as compared to control group. To assess the delayed type of hypersensitivity response DNCB assay was conducted and response found signifi cantly increased in the probiotic supplemented group after

72 hours of DNCB inoculation. The nitric oxide (NO) production by the in vitro cultured macrophages from the birds was assessed to calculate the cell mediated im-mune response. No production was found signifi cantly enhanced in the probiotic and symbiotic supplemented birds depict-ing the improvement in the cell mediated immune response in these groups.

Egg production and qualityThe supplementation did show a sig-nifi cant response in improving the egg production as well as egg quality. The egg production was increased and more stable in all the supplemented groups as compared to control group. However it was remarkable in the protein supple-mented group. In terms of egg quality egg weight, egg diameter, albumin diameter, egg shell thickness, egg breaking strength and FCR were improved in all the supplemented groups and it was also superior in the protein supplemented group comparatively.

Adding a particular protein to the diets of laying hens after induced molting, will increase the overall health status and performance of the birds.

11WOP004_Forced molting 1511WOP004_Forced molting 15 4/27/2011 2:10:38 PM4/27/2011 2:10:38 PM

Managing PerfectionImprove the quality of your hatching eggs

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Complete Solutions in Poultry Equipment


EGGS

“We as egg producers play a strong role in global food production. In this respect we have a corporate social responsibility (CSR)”, chairman Joanne Ivy said in her opening statement to the conference of the International Egg Commission (IEC) in London, UK, from April 3-5. For this reason, the IEC has created a CSR work-ing group with members representing all parts of the world. Their objective is to fi nd a way to as good as possible meet with the goals that have been set earlier. “What does CSR mean and what should CSR mean to IEC?”, Joanne Ivy ques-tioned. She went on to say that this is an area where the IEC has been work-ing to provide a common structure for each country and the egg business to build their CSR programme around. She reminded the audience that IEC had adopted the statement that farmers care about producing the highest quality, saf-est product. Moreover they care about the environment and the welfare of hens, are providing choice and have a responsi-bility of feeding the growing world popu-lation. In order to meet with these goals, IEC is building relationships with FAO, OIE, and the Consumer Goods Forum.

Green train has leftApart from the initiatives that the IEC is taking, a wide range of speakers ad-

dressed the audience. Such as professor David Hughes of the Imperial College in London, emphasising the need for being prepared for the future. Consumers in the developed world will be demanding food that is produced in a sustainable way. An example is retail giant Wal-Mart that has announced global sustainable agriculture goals. “We and our suppliers are to become carbon neutral in the not to far away future”, Hughes stated. “The green train has left the station and you should be aware of that”, he concluded. Director Ruud Zanders of Rondeel explained this innovative concept of layer housing as an example of keeping layers in a sustainable way. Currently the Rondeel concept is under expansion in the Netherlands and the fi rst facility will also possibly be built in Germany.

Competitive advantageNan-Dirk Mulder of Rabobank Interna-tional addressed the volatility of global commodity prices and their impact on future egg demand, production and global trade. According to Mulder, in the upcoming ten years, an additional 500 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds are needed to meet global demands, of which 190 tonnes for animal production. Com-pared to other animal protein sources, eggs are in a favourable position, since

feed effi ciency and cost of production are very low. The industry’s early move to alternative systems and low CO

2 foot-

print is a competitive advantage, he says. According to Mulder, the egg products industry will become more important as this will benefi t from a further globalisa-tion of the market. He forecasts growth markets like China, India and Latin America to play a stronger role on the world market in the coming two decades.

Creating awarenessJil Benson of JS West in California, USA, is keeping 1,8 million layers. She told the audience about her experiences of gradually moving to alternative systems. After all, California will have to deal with Proposition 2 from 2015, meaning that hens may no longer be kept in traditional cages. Currently JS West keep their hens in various systems and they have their fi rst experiences with enriched systems. “Initially the text about what should be done, was very vague”, Benson stated. However, California egg producers formed their association and gradually found clarity. JS West reviewed the options and is moving forward. “Teaching consumers about modern farming practices is important to create awareness and acceptance about these new practices” Benson concluded.

The future of egg production is permanently on the

agenda of the International Egg Commission (IEC).

Apart from current matters, the corporate social

responsibility theme was adopted by the members

recently. Together they discuss about meeting with and

responding to global demands. Such as at their latest

conference in London.

IEC conference in London

Taking steps to the future

By Ad Bal

Joanne Ivy: “IEC has already been working to provide a common structure for egg businesses to build their CSR programme around”.

11WOP004_IEC 1711WOP004_IEC 17 4/26/2011 1:52:20 PM4/26/2011 1:52:20 PM


What is the connection between poultry breeding and drawing blood samples from birds? Red blood cells have the hereditary (genetic) information of an animal stored in its DNA, just like it is in the cells of all other body parts. The new technique, called genomic selection, can read the genetic information and thereby learn a lot about the character-istics and quality of the animals. This information can then be used to select parents for the next generation of the breeding programme. The goal of breeding chickens and tur-keys is to mate the best animals of a gen-eration to produce the next generation. But which ones are the best animals?

The animals that perform best for the traits that the breeding company (actu-ally its customers) fi nds important and likes to see most. These traits can change over time, because customers ask for an animal with diff erent qualities. For years egg layers were selected for egg numbers, early maturity, peak production and per-sistency of lay and egg quality and colour. At the same time, selection attention was paid to the egg weight curve, feed conver-sion, body weight, hatchability and culls. All these traits were considered, more or less, strongly depending on how they fi t in the breeding goal.

Emphasis on trait changes Today robustness (especially for Europe), behaviour and feathering get more em-phasis in the breeding goal while other traits get less. Not much progress can be made any more for early maturity and peak production. However persistency

of lay and egg quality during the late stages of production have become much more important, according to Frans van Sambeek, director of primary breeding for ISA, the egg laying division of Hendrix Genetics. “To collect data about these traits, we have kept crossbred progeny from breed-ing males up to 80 weeks” he says. “Since 2009 progeny from the pure blood line is kept until 100 weeks. When you keep hens to 80 weeks then the males are older than 105 weeks. If selection is started at that late age then the selection interval is even longer. ISA also evaluates dry matter of eggs, which is a trait especially important to the egg product industry. A lower percentage dry matter indicates more water in the egg and that has to be removed to manufacture egg powder.To establish how good an animal is, we have to measure and collect all kinds of data. Certain traits, like growth, can be

Selecting the parents for the next generation of layers

quicker and more accurately? It is possible, thanks to

genomic selection.

Genomic selection brings Genomic selection brings more genetic progressmore genetic progress

By Hans Bijleveld

Drawing blood from individual birds enables obtaining hereditary (genetic) information.

11WOP004_Genomic Selection 1811WOP004_Genomic Selection 18 4/26/2011 12:41:48 PM4/26/2011 12:41:48 PM


BREEDING

measured on the animals themselves, but for many other traits, like potential egg production on males, that is not possible. In such cases the geneticist evaluates parents, half siblings and progeny. Based on all this collected data an animal is assigned a breeding value, which is an estimate of how good an animal is. ISA uses an enormous database, because every pure blood line contains thousands of animals. In today’s poultry breeding we use statistics, calculation models and computer programmes to analyse the success of the poultry breeding company.”

Genome, chromosomes and genesIn 2004 the chicken genome was complet-ed. This means that the chicken was geneti-cally charted so that it was known where all the genetic information can be found. DNA (DesoxyriboNucleic Acid) is the carrier of hereditary information. DNA is passed on to the progeny. A DNA molecule consists of two long strands of nucleotide, the so called base pairs. DNA has four diff erent bases: guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine; these are abbreviated respec-tively as G, C, A and T. G and C can jointly form a base pair and so can A and T. The order of the nucleoids in a strand is called a sequence. These sequences establish the code for forming many vary-ing proteins which perform a variety of functions in- and outside the cell. Con-sider for example digesting of feed as an eff ect on making egg shell. DNA exists in

body cells in the form of chromosomes. Chickens have 39 pairs of chromosome (humans have 23) of which one pair is the sex chromosome. On each of the 39 pairs lie thousands of genes, altogether about 20.000, which contain about 1,5 billion base pairs. In other words: each gene con-sists of a shorter or longer DNA sequence.

Breeding out “fi shy taint” Trimethylamine (TMA) has a distinct fi shy taint which can cause so called “stinky eggs” (or for cows stinky milk and for people a fi shy perspiration

odour). Normally the enzyme FMO3 transforms TMA into the odourless TMA-oxide which the animal passes in its urine. When FMO3 is absent TMA is not broken down which allows the taint to form in the eggs. Canola shorts is a feed ingredient that can cause fi sh tainted eggs because it contains sinapine which can be transformed to TMA after fermentation in the last part of the gut. FMO3 defi ciency occurred only in cer-tain lines of brown layers and then only in a small percentage of the animals. This defi ciency was genetically present. Most

Looking for genetically best animalsBreeding is all about fi nding the genetically best individual and to then use them as parents

for the next generation. The breeding goal dictates the criteria and traits which the breeding

programme sets out to improve and whereby it selects the animals which are the best. How

much annual genetic progress is made depends on four following issues:.

Selection intensity indicates how severe the breeding company selects. Poultry breeding

company Hendrix Genetics selects less then one percent (<1%) of the males and

approximately fi ve percent (5%) of females as parents for the next generation for its egg

layers (ISA) and its turkeys (Hybrid Turkeys).

Accuracy indicates how well the genetic value of an animal has been calculated. How sure

are we about how genetically good a male or female is?

Hereditary variation identifi es the genetic differences between individuals within a fl ock or

blood line. If there is no hereditary variation then all individuals are genetically identical and

therefore no genetic progress can be made (also not in the progeny).

Annual genetic progress depends on the generation interval, which is the time between two

generations. The length of this period depends on the age of sexual maturity, but even

more on how long it takes before an estimate is made of the genetic potential of an

animal. If this is done too young then the estimate is inaccurate which means that inferior

animals may be chosen. If you wait longer then the accuracy improves, but the interval

becomes longer.

Birds are kept individually to determine individual breeding traits.Blood samples offer a wide range of information on the birds’ individual traits, enabling quick and precise selection.


BREEDING


MORE INFORMATION

www.isapoultry.com

individuals can form the enzyme FMO3, but a small number cannot. Researchers at the University of Upp-sala (Sweden) discovered that fi sh taint is caused in animals that have a faulty FMO3 gene, which causes the fi sh taint. They developed a test to prove this. The Swedish researchers formed a fi rm called FunboGen, which holds the pat-ent for this test for all animal species. ISA received the exclusive rights in 2008 to perform this test for all bird species, while primary breeder Lohmann applied to perform the test for chickens.

First practical applicationBoth breeding companies quarrel together over these patents: Lohmann claims that Hendrix Genetics may not use the test for chickens because Lohm-ann has exclusive use for chickens, while Hendrix Genetics reasons that Lohmann may not apply the test on chickens because chickens are birds and they have the exclusive use to apply the test to birds. Despite this apparent stalemate

both global poultry breeding companies have managed to remove the inability to destroy TMA from their brown layers. This was the fi rst practical application of genomic selection. The chromosomes vary from very large to very small (of course they are all mi-croscopic). In chickens chromosome 1 is very large. This chromosome contains 15% of the hereditary traits of a chicken. Chromosome 38 contains very little. Knowing the genome of the chicken means that we know the DNA of all 39 chromosomes.

New possibilitiesWhen the chicken genome was com-pleted many new scientifi c methods were developed to apply the knowledge of this genome. It is now possible to place genetic markers on the chromo-somes; kind of placing fl ags on the chro-mosomes. A very usable type of such genetic markers is the so-called single nucleoid polymorphism, or for short SNP, which is pronounced “snip”. There are 15 to 20 millions snips in a chicken. Snips cover each two sequences consist-ing of 100 to 200 bases. Of interest is that two joint base sequences can be diff erent for one base only, i.e. one sequence has a C and the other sequence has a T at the same location. That may well be the reason for a diff erence in a certain trait. Machines were developed to read the snips, costing approximately 0.2 cents per snip.Hendrix Genetics started using this in 2005 for broilers and later for egg layers. Van Sambeek: “We started with a group of 1000 animals of which we had a lot of detail and we had a very accurate breed-ing value because we tested many of their progeny. Gerard Albers, director of R&D for Hendrix Genetics states: “This way we can fi nd out what diff erence results from having a C or T placed at a certain position. Using the results of all 60,000 SNPs and all traits in the breeding goal of the ISA egg layers, we have created a very large table that contains the impacts of all 60,000 C-T diff erences on all traits. This table is then used to calculate the ‘genomic’ breeding value for current animals which only have a snip result but no trait information.”

International cooperationHendrix Genetics collaborates with several universities, one of which is Wageningen University in the Neth-erlands. US government organisation USDA has granted 2,5 million USD in subsidies. The advantage of this method is that a reliable estimated breeding value (EBV) of an animal on the basis of snips can be made. This can be done at a young age when the animal itself has expressed many of it’s own features and properties and of course none of its progeny. Albers: “So we select earlier, which short-ens the generation interval and thereby we can make quicker genetic progress. On the male side we progress by leaps and bounds.” Van Sambeek states: “This method is especially advantageous for features that are diffi cult to measure, like culling, bird behaviour, egg quality at 100 weeks of age and sensitivity to disease. For criteria like egg colour the gain is less.” Hendrix Genetics has relegated the test-ing to service labs in Canada and Spain, where it has been completely automated. In the meantime many pure blood lines have been tested and the table thereof has been compiled. ISA now applies this method to several of its commercial blood lines.

The old method also remainsAlthough the new method of estimating breeding value (genomic selection) has been implemented, it does not mean that the old methods are thrown overboard. Albers: “We have to continue measuring on the animal itself the old way in order to conclude what the genetic potential of an animal is. Because only then can we judge with great certainty what impact a diff erent base at a certain location makes (G, C, A or T).”Measuring production data for individual animals and their families and entering this via handheld comput-ers into the main computer, where the estimated breeding value is calculated, will remain.”

A very usable genetic

marker is the so-called

single nucleoid polymor-

phism or for short SNP,

which is pronounced

“snip”. There are 15 to 20

millions snips in a chicken.

Measuring individual production data such as on feed conversion, will remain.

These data are entered via handheld computers into the main computer where

the estimated breeding value is calculated.



With the aid of a new transponder technology, the free-range behaviour and laying performance of layers can be tested simultaneously. Lohmann Tierzucht, together with the Bavarian State Research Centre in Germany, investigated the laying behaviour of 272 Lohmann Silver hens in Electronic Pop Holes (EPH) and Funnel Nest Boxes (FNB). These systems made it possible to record automatically each separate visit to the free-range area as well as the egg number by every single hen in the fl ock. The hens were housed in an aviary with an adjoining winter garden at the Thalhausen experimental station of the Technical University of Munich. To identify each single hen in the EPH and FNB, every hen was tagged with a transponder on one leg. During the whole investigation period of one year, the winter garden was continuously accessible for the hens. The frequency of passages (number of passages between the in- and the outside area) and the duration of stay in the free-range area of each hen was recorded daily. A large fraction of the hens (35%), did not use the winter garden at all. They were not even once registered at one of the four EPH throughout the whole year. The percentage of hens that used the winter garden (at least once in a 28 day period), increased during the observation period. As soon as a hen was familiar with the

winter garden, she visited the free-range area nearly every day. Expected eff ects, like a reduction of the share during autumn and winter, were not found.

Antagonistic trendThe highest number of passages through the EPH was registered in the second laying period (15 passages per hen per day). Thereafter, the frequency decreased from a level of 13 passages in the fi fth laying period to eight passages

in the 12th laying period. The average length of stay in the winter garden showed an antagonistic trend to the fre-quency of passages. At the beginning of the observation period, the average visit to the winter garden had a duration of 14 minutes, whereas from laying period seven to the end of the observation, a single stay took an average of more than 30 minutes. The number of passages and the duration of stay in the winter garden showed a big variation from hen to hen.

Hens that are kept under free range conditions

automatically have more freedom of movement. Those

birds that use their freedom abundantly tend to lay less

eggs however. Breeding therefore should focus on

responding to this behaviour.

Free range behaving birds produce less eggs

By Wiebke Icken, and Dr. Rudolf

Preisinger, Lohmann Tierzucht, Cuxhaven, Germany

11WOP004_Free range 2211WOP004_Free range 22 4/26/2011 12:18:36 PM4/26/2011 12:18:36 PM


WELFARE

There were some hens which returned to the barn after a short glance into the winter garden, whereas others stayed nearly day and night outside. Most of the passages through the EPH were registered in the morning between 6 am and 8 am as well as in the afternoon be-tween 4 pm and 5 pm. The average stay in the winter garden per hen per day was about 2.5 to 4 hours. At four o’clock in the morning, the artifi cial light in the barn was switched on and at 8 pm, it was switched off . From 8 am onwards, the hens were looking intensively for the FNB to lay their eggs. The laying performance of the hens were calculated for each 28-day laying period, begin-ning with the fi rst correct registered egg in the FNB. A bacteria infection in the third laying period caused the very late peak of the laying performance (94,2%) in the sixth laying period. The laying performance stayed on a slightly lower level thereafter, with a drop to 86% dur-ing the 12th laying period. The estimated heritabilities for the egg number were generally at a low level, varying from one laying period to the next.

Positive and negative correlationGenetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated for the traits: frequency of passages, length of stay in the winter garden and laying performance. A highly positive correlation between the fre-quency of passages and the length of stay were expected and validated by the close relationship between both traits. Nega-tive genetic correlations were estimated between both parameters for the ranging behaviour and the laying performance. Only a slightly negative trend could be found in the correlation between the traits: frequency of passages and laying performance, whereas a moderate nega-tive correlation was detected between the traits: length of stay in the winter garden and laying performance. Until now, no literature could be found which describe the correlations between the two free range parameters (frequency of passages and length of stay) and the laying performance, like in this investiga-tion. Therefore, the EPH and FNB fi rst showed the possibility to simultaneously record the free-range behaviour and egg

number for each hen in a group housing system, with a justifi able eff ort under fi eld conditions. It is being reviewed, how the recorded data can be integrated into the current breeding programme to improve and sustain the nest and free-range acceptance.

Constant patternTo conclude, it can be said that layers do have a constant free-range behaviour pattern throughout the day. After get-ting familiar with the new production environment, many hens pay their fi rst visit to the outside area nearly two hours after the lights were turned on. About half an hour later, they went back to the barn to lay their eggs and meet other needs such as feed and water

consumption. During the whole day, layers switch between in-and outdoors several times. Variation in free-range activity from hen to hen showed that hens with a high passage frequency tend to lay less eggs than hens with only two to three passages per day. However, about 35% of the hens do not go out. This is probably due to their fear of ex-ploring a new environment and not due to laziness. It is not important for them to have a high free-range activity, but rather in the production system visiting nest boxes for laying purposes.

0

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1 2 3* 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

28-day laying period

Ave

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Average duration of a visit Passage frequency per hen and dayInfection *

Figure 1 - Average length of stay for a single visit and average passage frequency into the winter garden per hen and day (only hens which paid visits to the winter garden were used for this evaluation).

30

25

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000:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00

Daytime

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14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

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Figure 2 - Passages of frequency during the day and season.

MORE INFORMATION

[email protected]

11WOP004_Free range 2311WOP004_Free range 23 4/26/2011 12:18:38 PM4/26/2011 12:18:38 PM

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To break or not to break eggs? This is the question many packing stations face when dealing with rejected eggs from the sorting operation, especially when the egg market is down. Furthermore, the volatility of prices of these eggs and the limited market outlets for them makes this matter complicated to deal with. The fragile nature of the eggs generates sanitation issues in the equipment that is used to handle them. Also there is an increased risk of cross contamination. And eggs broken during tray and pallet handling turn into potential sources of food for vermin and insects. Moreover, broken eggs generate “stuck eggs” and promote mould which translates to losses for the processing plant. This plant even-tually complains and demands a better price, or a discount or returns the eggs to the packaging station.

Integrated solutionsYield losses during storage, transport to the breaking plant and loading to break-ing equipment have been estimated between 4% and 7%. When combining this loss with the down-time generated at the breaking plant, packaging material waste, and the environmental impact due to additional cleaning compounds and

water, it can reach staggering numbers. But, how else to handle these eggs? Most packing stations do not produce enough seconds to justify investing in a large, complex egg breaking and processing plant. But here’s where new alternatives are now available for packing stations to not only break these eggs in a sanitary matter, but to produce a wide variety of high-value egg products. Completely integrated solutions incorporating all the steps necessary to produce high-quality egg products are pre-assembled into stainless steel frames, ready to operate within a few days after arrival at the plant. Packing stations can install these systems in a small room adjacent to the grad-ing operation, with a belt or conveyor directly from the grading machine to the egg breaker. The egg breaker receives and breaks the eggs and the egg product im-mediately enters a blending tank to cre-ate a homogeneous mix. From the tank, the products are fi ltered and immediately

Alternative options for handling seconds

By Fabio Gualtieri, Pelbo SPA, Italy

Modern consumers demand high quality eggs. As a

result, packing stations must supply such eggs to the

retail outlets. Eggs of a lesser quality such as undergrads

and cracks, can easily be processed into liquid products

at the packing station.

Small size egg breakers are placed in a room, adjacent to the packing facility.Yolk and liquid are separated in order to be processed differently.

11WOP004_Seconds 2611WOP004_Seconds 26 4/26/2011 11:06:32 AM4/26/2011 11:06:32 AM


EGG PROCESSING

pasteurised and packaged. The amount of time that it takes an egg from the time it is broken to being pasteurised and pack-aged is less than 20 minutes.

Minimum handlingThe liquid egg products can be packaged into a wide range of packing materials such as bag-in-box, bottles, pallecon boxes, pails or for a bit more money, gable-top type packages. Because the eggs are fresh and go through minimum han-dling, the system allows for production of high-value extended shelf life egg prod-ucts, or minimally treated liquid products that can be sold to other processing operations. This may even allow packing stations to divert eggs seasonally to the breaking operation as the egg market fl uctuates, as well as to divert diffi cult to grade eggs such as eggs from old hens. The systems are completely integrated which means that not only the process-ing equipment is included, but that all support equipment (heating/cooling), cleaning equipment and controls for a quick, easy and fl awless installation.

Return on investmentHow can a packing station benefi t from installing such systems? There’s a wide range of measures that have a direct impact on the bottom line as well as other indirect benefi ts. To calculate the return on investment plants can easily evaluate the cost to pack, handle, store and deliver such eggs along with the additional revenue generated by selling egg products instead of seconds.Variables are the price of seconds, the price of bulk pasteurised liquid whole eggs, the price of specialty extended shelf life egg products and the quantity of eggs to be processed.For this example, we will consider the following prices: A) Average price of seconds: €0,45/kg B) Average price of industry eggs:

€0,60/kgC) Average price of pasteurised whole

eggs: €1,00D) Average price of ESL Bio whole eggs:

€1,50To calculate the amount of eggs to be processed, we will do this in terms of the size of the packing station, in this case

118,800 eggs per hour, with an average production of seconds of 4%.• Total production of seconds per 8–hour

shift: 38,016 eggs• Estimated weight of seconds: 2.281 kg• Value of eggs produced: €1,026.00For the evaluation, we will consider two scenarios: shipping the eggs to the processing plant and processing the eggs at the packing station.

Calculations for two scenariosThe industry average for losses during transport fl uctuates between 4 and 7%, so we’ll consider an average of 5.5% loss. This means that the processing plant will need 5.5% more eggs to produce 1 kg of egg product. Assuming that an average plant will recover 82% liquid from sec-onds, the average cost of eggs to produce 1 kg of average-quality liquid is €0,58. In comparison, processing the eggs on site directly from the grading machine represents a liquid recovery of 85% and without the loss from transport. This means that the cost of eggs to produce 1 kg of high-quality liquid for the packing station is €0,53.Independent of the operating cost, the packing station already has a €0,05/kg ad-vantage over the breaking plant, and when considering a selling price of €1,00 per kg of pasteurised whole egg, in annual terms represents a gross margin of €236,000.Furthermore, taking into account that the amount of direct and indirect costs of running an integrated system compared to a complex breaking plant will be much lower, the price advantage compared to a standard egg breaking plant could be easily doubled from €0,05 to €0,10 per kg.

Other benefi tsAs we’ve seen over the past couple of decades, the egg products market contin-ues to take away market share from the egg in the shell market. Investing in an integrated system would allow the pack-ing station to retain their customers by off ering them fresh, high-quality liquid or frozen egg products. The eggs will be handled daily and directly from the grader, eliminating labour, materials and storage area for seconds. Liquid and fro-zen egg products occupy approximately half the space of the in shell equivalent.

Liquid products can be packaged in insulated pallecons or large insulated bag-in-box style totes, eliminating the need for refrigerated storage. So, next time the question arises, know that egg breaking and processing is a viable alternative.

From the tank, the products are fi ltered and immediately pasteurised and packaged.

Following the breaking, the seconds and cracked eggs are processed into industrial products.

Proper mixing is an important stage in the processing procedure.

MORE INFORMATION

www.pelbo.it

11WOP004_Seconds 2711WOP004_Seconds 27 4/26/2011 11:06:34 AM4/26/2011 11:06:34 AM

The 1st Ceva Vector VaccinesSymposium was attended by 280 people from 41 countries and created an unique platform to share experiences between Key note speakers and guests on this new technology in poultry disease control.

The world leader in vector vaccine technology

Access the free web-seminar showing the symposium at

www.vector-vaccines.com

Vector Vaccines Symposium


COLUMN

EVENTS

[email protected]

17-19 MayVIV RussiaMoscow, Russia

[email protected] www.VIV.net

17-19 MayAveSui 2011Florianopolis, Brazil

[email protected] www.avesui.com

18-20 MayChina Animal Husbandry ExpoQingdao, China

[email protected] www.caaa.com.cn/2011/en/

19-21 MaySipsa AgrisimAlgiers, Algeria

[email protected] www.sipsa-dz.net

22-25 MayAlltech’s 27th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium 2011Lexington, Kentucky, US

[email protected] www.alltech.com/symposium

25-26 MayWorld Poultry 2011Brussels, Belgium

[email protected] http://worldpoultry.agraevents.

com

26-28 MayAviana 2011 Poultry and Livestock ExpoKathmandu, Nepal

[email protected] www.aviana.co.ke

31 May-2 JuneAvi AfricaGauteng, South Africa

[email protected] www.sapoultry.co.za

6-7 JuneGlobalGAP Tour 2011 Sao Paulo, Brazil

[email protected] www.tour2011.org

6-8 JuneAgritex 2011Damascus, Syria

[email protected] www.atassiex.com

6-10 JuneSchothorst Feed Research:Feed and Nutrition ProgramAmsterdam, the Netherlands

[email protected] www.schothorst.nl

9-11 JuneVIV TurkeyIstanbul, Turkey

[email protected] www.VIV.net

30 June - 2 JulyAgrena 2011Cairo, Egypt

[email protected] www.agrena.net

7-9 JulyAviana 2011 Poultry and Livestock ExpoColumbo, Sri Lanka

[email protected] www.aviana.co.ke

12-13 JulyGlobalGAP Tour 2011 Cairo, Egypt

[email protected] www.tour2011.org

16 -19 July100th Poultry Science Association Annual General MeetingSt Louis, Missouri

[email protected] www.poultryscience.org/psa11

14-18 August17th Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry AssociationCancun, Mexico

[email protected]

www.wvpc2011cancun.org

31 August-3 September5th Workshop on fundamental physiology and perinatal development in poultryWageningen, the Netherlands

[email protected] www.pdpworkshop2011.com

4-8 SeptemberWPSA symposium on quality of meat, eggs and egg productsLeipzig, Germany

[email protected] www.eggmeat-2011.de

6-9 September XXII Latin American Poultry CongressBuenos Aires, Argentina

[email protected] www.avicultura2011.com

7-9 September 30th Poultry Science Symposium Alternative Systems for Poultry Production Glasgow, Scotland

[email protected] www.wpsa-uk.com/newSite/meetings/2011.html

13-16 September SPACERennes, France

[email protected] www.space.fr

MORE INFORMATION

Corn prices at record high

A recent editorial drew our attention to high corn and soybean prices. Since theses are the primary feed ingredients in many parts of the poultry world, and feed constitutes 70-80% of production costs, this is a serious issue.While there are many sources of corn, the US tends to dominate the market, as the largest producer, and the largest exporter. Recent price escalations are undoubtedly due to a combination of factors; chief among these are increased export demand, and of probably the greatest importance because it is a relatively new phenomenon, the still expanding ethanol indus-try. While many countries are having serious second thoughts about ethanol, the US government continues to subsidise the ethanol industry, and thus corn that might have been used for animal feed is being processed into ethanol for inclusion in motor fuel. In 2010, 5.3 billion bushels of US corn were used for livestock feed, and 3.6 billion for ethanol production. The latter demand did not exist 15 years ago, but long-term commitments by governments to the ethanol industry make it unlikely that this situation will change dramatically in the near future.So what is likely to happen? The US will plant virtually all corn land available in 2011. Export demand from large importers is likely to continue or increase. Alternative feed energy sources are, at best, marginal. Can supply be increased elsewhere? The second largest corn producer in the world is China, with output just over half that of the US. But due to rapidly expanding poul-try and hog production, China is likely to be an importer rather than an exporter. Brazil produces about 1/6 as much corn as the US, and has many millions of hectares of land available for development. But why would Brazil export more corn when it can export chicken, turkey, and pork? It seems to me that the world’s poultry industries have little choice than to “grin and bear it”. Yes, we can investigate alternatives to corn, but in the end, these will be subject to the same market forces. We can make sure we make the best use of the corn we have. Work hard to maintain and if possible, improve feed conversion rates. Breeders will help here, but there are biological limits on the horizon. Special niche products like “vegetarian”, “organic”, “free range”, etc. will have progressively higher costs as corn prices rise, but consumers of these products seem to be able to pay for them now, and will likely continue to do so. As so often in the past, the poultry industries will adapt to the new order of ingredient costs, and with good products to sell at fair prices, will remain competitive and prosperous.

Dr. Peter HuntonPast President WPSA

www.worldpoultry/events

MORE EVENTS

PEOPLE

Scott Black, formerly broiler

manager at Pilgrims Pride in

Chattanooga, Tennessee, has

joined Cobb-Vantress as

broiler specialist in the North

America technical service

team. A graduate of the University of

Tennessee at Chattanooga, Black previously

worked with Seaboard Farms and ConAgra

before moving to Pilgrims in 2004. He has

an extensive background in broiler

management and ventilation.

HatchTech has expanded its

research department with the

appointment of Carla van der

Pol. Van der Pol graduated

from Wageningen University,

the Netherlands, with a

specialisation in adaptation physiology. She

will participate in projects for HatchTech’s

product groups HatchTechnology,

HatchTraveller and HatchBrood.

Moba has appointed

Christoffer Ernst as its sales

director for Asia Pacific

(excluding Japan and China).

He now heads the business of

Moba Asia from their head-

quarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ernst,

is the third generation in a family with a

long history in the egg industry, and has

considerable experience in the Asian egg

industry having been based there since 1998.

Dr Guillermo Gaona-Ramírez,

has joined the Danisco Animal

Nutrition team as a technical

sales manager. He will be

covering the South American

countries of Bolivia, Colombia,

Ecuador and Peru.

www.worldpoultry/people

MORE PEOPLE NEWS

11WOP004_Events 2911WOP004_Events 29 4/27/2011 2:13:02 PM4/27/2011 2:13:02 PM


By Roger Ranson, BHR Communications, UK

Traditional strains of chicken may not have a place in the

modern poultry house, but they could hold the key to some

future advances in breeding. Take the case of the Hellevad

chicken, little known outside a remote corner of Denmark

until it was found to contain a gene that seems to be linked

to robust health.

The Hellevad chicken is an egg laying strain that has been bred by the Wolf family over the past 50 years and sold to small producers, many of them backyard or hobby farmers, in small numbers. The hatchery, in the northern part of Jutland, has a capacity of hatching 3,000 day-old chicks at a time, and sells some 35,000 pullets during the year. The breed is a combination of original US and native Danish blood lines. The female line is derived from the New Hampshire breed imported to Denmark in the 1950s, while the male line is a local strain of white Leghorn developed by the Skalborg breeding centre over 30 years and then acquired by the Wolf family in 1980. This was a pivotal moment in the Danish egg industry, a year after the Government lifted the ban on battery cages. This led to the widespread adop-tion of international hybrids, lighter strains selected for cage production, and the demise of many native breeds.

Robust healthThe customer base of the Hellevad hatchery, far removed from the large-scale commercial industry, enabled it to continue developing its traditional strains for the local market, particularly the organic and free range sectors that account for more than 15% of the Danish demand today. Hatchery owner Jørn Wolf has always known that his layers enjoyed robust health. They have been given no prevent-ative medication or treatment for 45 years, have low mortality and retain good feather cover throughout lay.

Little known Danish Hellevad chicken

In a 1997 trial against a commercial ISA layer strain, the inferior egg production of the Hellevad breed was balanced by much lower mortality as a result of the more docile behaviour as well as disease resistance. This characteristic attracted the interest of research scientists at a Government institute. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, has an institute near Viborg where senior scientist Dr Helle Juul-Madsen and her colleagues work on immunology. “No, there’s no connec-tion between my name and that of the hatchery,” she quips as she introduces their work to us.

Improving immune systemThe current focus of their work is a protein called mannose-binding lectin, MBL as it is usually termed, which is known to play a role in improving the immune system. It is used in human medicine for treating cancer patients who have a weakened immune system due to a genetic defect in their MBL gene while recovering from chemotherapy.

The researchers were astonished to fi nd the MBL level in the Hellevad strain two to three times the normal level in commercial egg layer breeds. “Ten years ago we took part in a project collaborating with organic farmers who used this breed to produce eggs for the Danish market,” says Dr Juul-Madsen. “At the same time, we ran a project selecting experimental birds for low or high concentrations of MBL in the blood. We wanted to analyse the rela-tion between MBL and disease resistance in chickens since it was already known that genotypes causing low MBL level in humans are associated with many diff erent diseases. So we decided to test a number of commercial egg layer strains used in Denmark for their basic level of MBL and found that the Hellevad chicken had two to three times as much MBL in the blood as other commercial egg layers.”

Pathogen detectorThey have investigated the role of MBL in fi ghting disease, seemingly

11WOP004_Hellevad 3011WOP004_Hellevad 30 4/26/2011 11:14:44 AM4/26/2011 11:14:44 AM


BREEDING

Hatchery owner Jørn Wolf with the parent lines to the Hellevad chicken, the local

Skalborg strain of White Leghorn and a New Hampshire.

Cobb research geneticist Dr Ron Okimoto in the Viborg laboratory with Dr Helle

Juul-Madsen (right) and Tina Dalgaard.

n could hold key to robust health

Dr Mitch Abrahamsen, vice president of Cobb research and development, with Dr

Helle Juul-Madsen, senior scientist at the Danish Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.

activating the natural defence mecha-nisms to destroy not just one kind of pathogen but viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. The MBL protein has devel-oped a reputation as a ‘pathogen detec-tor’ binding to mannose and other sugars on the surface of the pathogen and triggering the immune system. This leads, for instance, to bacteria cell mem-branes being punctured, phagocytosis which ‘gobbles up’ bacteria and viruses, and other destruction mechanisms. “It is so eff ective in enhancing the innate immune system that it has even been called the miracle protein,” says Dr Juul-Madsen. “People with a genetic defect, making it impossible for them to produce functional MBL, are very susceptible to infections especially before the age of two when the immune defence system is not fully developed. If those children are injected with purifi ed MBL, they will recover more easily from infectious diseases.”

Four year projectNow she and her colleagues are poised for a major expansion in their work through winning a grant from the Danish Council for Strategic Research and fi nancial sup-port from Cobb-Vantress. The four-year project costing 18.160 million Danish Krone (US $3.42 million dollars) has attracted a grant of almost 12 million D Kr from the Danish government and 2.7 million D Kr from Cobb. It has become known as the Poly-Reid project, a form of acronym from the plan to target polyvalent resistance to infectious diseases. The project, which includes funding one post doctorate position and two PhD studentships, will focus on genotyping to identify the gene or combination of genes responsible for MBL levels.This aspect is particularly signifi cant for Cobb which is working to enhance the innate immune system of its products as one of the targets of its genomic research program, according to

Dr Mitch Abrahamsen, vice president of research and development.

Not yet fully sequencedCobb is determining the MBL genotypes of its pure lines but a comprehensive understanding of the genes regulating the chicken innate immune response is far from complete. More than 20,000 chicken genes have been mapped but there are still areas of some chromo-somes, thought to be around 5% of the “good stuff ” where the DNA has not been fully sequenced. The Danish work has already targeted DNA sequences which are thought to be linked with MBL levels. The scientists are searching for changes in the DNA coding, one diff erence in the sequence of nucleic acids termed the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), that represent alternative forms, or alleles, of a gene. Then the link with a particular trait or phenotype, has to be validated. The secret to MBL levels could lie within the gene itself, or perhaps that part, the promoter region, which controls the switching mechanism that turns on the expression of a gene into a particular enzyme or protein.

Enhancing immunityThe project will establish the MBL levels in the Hellevad parent lines and whether there is a sex linkage. For Cobb the prime interest is validating the role of MBL in enhancing immunity against diseases such as salmonella and E. coli, monitoring MBL in its pure lines and selecting for higher levels. “We’re excited to be involved in this project as the continual improvement of the innate immune system in our commercial broilers is a key focus of our R&D,” says Dr Abrahamsen. “The demonstrated experience and expertise of Dr Juul-Madsen and her research team was a critical factor in determining our desire to participate, and bodes well for the success of the investigation.”

11WOP004_Hellevad 3111WOP004_Hellevad 31 4/26/2011 11:14:45 AM4/26/2011 11:14:45 AM

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NUTRITION

Day by day consumers are getting increasingly interested in functional foods as an alternative to increase their health and wellbeing. To fulfil this demand there has been a huge development in the area of functional foods, meaning products that not only provide the classical nutrients but also contain other substances of healthy benefit. Among these substances are EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), both Omega-3

essentials fatty acids. These fatty acids have proven to reduce cardiac diseases, reduce cholesterol and triglycerides plasmatic levels, they also enhance the immune status and regulate inflam-matory response, and through their structural-functional role in central nervous system development, growth and ageing affects neurotransmission and neuronal growth and survival, thus having a role in behaviour and cognitive function.

Incorporated in dietAs Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be synthe-sised d-novo by mammalian individuals they must be incorporated in our diet. EPA and DHA are found only on marine sources; even when vegetables sources contains the Omega 3 alfa-linolenic acid (ALA), this molecule is much shorter and has to be elongated and desaturated to become DHA, a process that is quite ineffi cient because most of ALA is an en-ergetic substrate. Here lies the problem, since the actual consumption of fi sh and marine derivative-meals has been dra-matically reduced by an occidental diet with common cooking vegetable oils and processed foods with little or no EPA-DHA Omega-3 fatty acids, resulting in an unhealthy imbalance; in fact the FAO/WHO expert consultation recommend that individuals with a defi ciency in n-3 fatty acids should be encouraged, if

Thanks to refi ning, deodorisation and stabilisation techniques, fi sh products

and by-products nowadays seem to be good components in the diets of layers

and broilers. These contribute to producing healthy food at an affordable cost.

Particularly enriched eggs are a healthy ingredient on the menu.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Fish or eggs, what about both?

By Andrés Ross Burrows, technical director SPES SA, Santiago de Chile, Chile

11WOP004_Fish or eggs 3311WOP004_Fish or eggs 33 4/26/2011 4:52:07 PM4/26/2011 4:52:07 PM

NUTRITION


MORE INFORMATION

www.spes.cl [email protected]

possible, to consume more n-3 PUFA-rich foods such as fi sh and other seafood.

Alternative approachesIt is well known that many vegetable sources also provide Omega-3 fatty acids, but short chain fatty acids. Those fatty acids should be elongated and desaturat-ed to EPA and further DHA, but the fat conversion to these long chain fatty acids is reported to be very ineffi cient reach-ing approximately 6% for EPA and 3.8% DHA; with a diet rich in Omega 6 fatty acids, such as vegetables, this amount is further reduced by 40-50%. Fish oil is the best source of long chain Omega-3 fatty acids, but it is not the main source of consumption since it is not available for every person due to costs. Thus al-ternative approaches have been made to modify fatty acid composition of natural foodstuff ; by increasing the amounts of fi sh oils in the diet of laying hens and broilers, a substantial amount of EPA and DHA were incorporated into eggs and meat, and the most important thing: without the organoleptic problems in the fi nal product, since the refi ning,

deodorisation and stabilisation of these commercial products allows to overcome those problems.

Misconception about eggs Although the incorporation of EPA and DHA using commercial fi sh oil by-products have been reported to occur in other meat species (beef cattle, lambs and pigs), EPA-DHA enriched eggs are the least expensive source of high qual-ity protein and balanced distribution of most vitamins and minerals. However, there is a misconception of eggs being a major source of bad cholesterol, and therefore have been pointed out as the one food to avoid. Those ideas contradict more than a decade of epidemiologic studies showing that dietary cholesterol is not a contributor to heart disease. Furthermore, eggs enriched with EPA and DHA have shown not to increase the plasma cholesterol concentrations when consumed four eggs per day.

Fish oil based productsThe Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA incorporated in the diet are deposited

on the egg yolk as globules containing VLDL molecules, with fatty acids mainly being deposited as phosphatidyleth-anolamine, phosphoglycerides and triglycerides. The lipid profi le modifi es at seven days of consumption and the EPA-DHA levels on the eggs have shown to stabilise between 9-12 days. In our experience an inclusion level of 2-3% of refi ned and deodorised fi sh oil-based product (Omega e-Blend) in the layer hen diet allows to produce eggs with an average EPA+DHA of 140 mg/egg, in other words one single egg would have 56% of the recommended daily intake of EPA+DHA for adults according to FAO recommendations and 46% of the recommended daily intake for pregnant and lactating women.

No fi shy tasteThe use of these commercial presenta-tions of refi ned-deodorised fi sh oil based products stabilised with powerful anti-oxidants ensures a good fi xation of EPA and DHA on egg yolk with no fi shy taste on the fi nal product thus adding more value to the fi nal product. Seafood, the main source of EPA and DHA is becom-ing expensive and its consumption is falling. EPA/DHA enriched eggs are the least expensive source of Omega-3 en-riched foodstuff and thus the easiest way to incorporate non-traditional Omega-3 sources in a daily diet. The contribution of enriched eggs will become increas-ingly important, especially to vegetar-ians, whose diet has no EPA or DHA. Moreover, as maternal DHA status infl uences subsequent infant function, high-DHA eggs are an excellent means to increase the daily DHA intake by the mother and foetus.Other benefi ts such as improved fertility rates and promotion of health has been reported for fi sh oil supplementation in poultry, thus providing benefi ts to product, producer and consumer.

* References are available on request

Quality control procedures during the NutraOmega3 packaging process.

An inclusion level of 2-3% of refi ned and deodorised fi sh oil-based product in layer hen diets allows to produce eggs with an average EPA+DHA of 140 mg/egg.

11WOP004_Fish or eggs 3411WOP004_Fish or eggs 34 4/26/2011 4:52:09 PM4/26/2011 4:52:09 PM

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California based Central Coast Farms, formerly known as Central Coast Fryer’s Inc., recently underwent a series of changes to revamp its image by modernising its former company name, relocating its headquarters, updating its websites and creating a new logo. Why? “To get closer to the high end customer via an open and transparent operation, explains Scott Rumbeck, marketing director of Central Coast Farms. “For example, we got rid of the word “fryer”

in our company name, as many people these days don’t know what a fryer is.” Although many Californians may not be familiar with old fashioned words such as fryer, they do have a lot of understanding about food processing, are well informed about agriculture and have strong demands when it comes to animal welfare and husbandry practices. In this respect, California is diff erent than other US states and inclines towards a more European mentality when it comes to raising livestock. For example, California will be the fi rst US state to ban caged eggs from sale as of 2015 and the state has recently approved a set of stricter animal welfare rules (the so-called proposition 2). Rumbeck: “We try to stay very connected to our customer base. We often do in-store demos, off ering cooked product in a meet the farmer type

The California poultry industry is a money maker, making

it one of the Golden State’s agricultural leaders. World

Poultry talks to Scott Rumbeck from Central Coast Farms

to fi nd out how they try to differentiate themselves in a

very competitive market.

Central Coast Farms meets high demands of Californians

By Emmy Koeleman

setting. This allows us to strengthen our relationships with our customers by answering the technical questions they

Scott Rumbeck, marketing director of Central Coast Farms.

Keeping their animals supplied with a constant food and water source, and allowing them free access to roam in protected but spacious outdoor areas once their feathers are fully developed, are just a couple of the ways the company maintains an excellent quality of life for their birds.

11WOP004_CCF 3611WOP004_CCF 36 4/26/2011 11:14:08 AM4/26/2011 11:14:08 AM


FARM REPORT

may have about the food they eat. Bridging this gap validates who we are and; paired with our antibiotic free, veg-etarian fed and optimum care claims, we are able to get our whole message across”.

Niche marketIt is obvious that the company, with its headquarters in Santa Clara, has a clear message to tell. “This is vital to survive in the competitive poultry industry, especially when serving the high end customer that will continually raise questions about the way the chickens were housed, fed and treated,” Rumbeck explains. Working closely with Andrew Carlson, president of Central Coast Farms and a third generation chicken farmer himself, Rumbeck is the heart of the organisation setting out new projects, overseeing the management of the farms and being the face of the company. Currently, Central Coast Farms employs about 270 employees in total, from grow out to processing. They have partnered with two local poultry processors that are both located near the ranches where the birds are raised. Central Coast Farms grows some of their own grains on a 1,000 acres piece of land in western Nebraska which are then shipped out west to the company’s feed mill in Ceres, California. The aspect of planting, harvesting and monitoring their own grains allows them a trace-able concept not off ered by competition from a company their size. Central Coast Farms is far smaller than the vast majority of growers/processors in the country such as Foster Farms. “We don’t shoot for market domination rather target a certain niche. This niche involves a customer base who demands a higher standard of growing, processing and care, this is the market we strive for,” explains Rumbeck. Standards of growing that are implemented on Central Coast Farms poultry fl ocks are many; natural ventilation, open housing and enriched living conditions, all with an emphasis on creating a stress free environment.

Blue Foot chickensBecause Central Coast Farms serves a health food minded audience, the chickens are delivered to supermarket

chains or shops with a focus on natural or organic food. In the mean-time, Central Coast Farms has distrib-uted their products in over 30 northern California Whole Foods Markets as the main supplier of poultry products, under an exclusive label. Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasises “natural” and organic products – having 291 stores in 38 US states. “Having our products in these popular stores enables us to reach the right target audience,” says Rumbeck. But Central Coast Farms also taps other niche markets. Besides the conventional Cobb 500 broilers, Central Coast Farms diff erentiates itself by raising a very special breed of chickens – the Blue Foot birds. The Blue Foot, or Poulet Bleu as it’s some-times called, is a homegrown version of France’s mythical poulet de Bresse. Like its French counterpart, the Blue Foot has a red comb, white feathers, and steel-blue feet - a characteristic so priced that they’re usually left on for table side presentation. “It’s slaughtered later than mass-market birds, and then air-chilled, two factors that contribute to a fi rmer texture and a slightly gamey fl avour. We can therefore sell these birds at a higher price than our other birds,” explains Rumbeck. Central Coast Farms sells on average about 400 Blue Foot birds per week. Ready for the futureCentral Coast Farms hopes that through their recent eff orts - getting closer to the consumers - the company will be able to maintain its smaller family roots, but at the same time, make a bigger name for itself. “We’re really trying to drive the customer to the farmer, to us. Establishing personal relationships with customers is key for us. We’re trying to make sure the focus when our customer sees our label, is on the farmer and family,” said Rumbeck. But is Central Coast Farms ready for the future, as the United States will follow the European approach on antibiotic use. How to still diff erentiate yourself if all US broilers are raised without antibiotics. Rumbeck does not worry a minute about that: “It will at least take several years before a

Facts about the California poultry industry

• More than 15,000 people work for California’s poultry companies,

earning more than $US400 million annually.

• Since Californians consume more chicken than any other meat,

California’s companies supply half of the chicken consumed in the

state and more than 75% of the fresh chicken.

• California poultry companies produce more than 250 million broiler

chickens each year. Chicken is ranked 12th among California’s top

commodities, with a farmgate value of US$787 million.

• California poultry companies process more than 700,000 broilers

per day.

• In 2008, California’s turkey companies raised more than 16 million

turkeys which equated to about 435 million pounds of meat.

California ranks among the top 6 states for the amount of turkeys

raised.

• California sells more “fresh” and “natural” poultry products than

any other state.

• California’s poultry companies are all family-owned. Foster Farms

is the state’s largest, by far. Other companies in California include:

Central Coast Farms, Diestel Family Turkey Ranch, Grimaud Farms

of California, Haley Farms, Pitman Farms, Petaluma Poultry

Processors, Shelton’s, Squab Producers of California, Woodland

Farms and Willie Bird Turkeys.

• More than 750 different California chicken products are sold in

supermarkets and grocery stores throughout the West. From fresh

chicken to deli lunch meats, prepared entrées and corn dogs,

California companies are producing new products every year.

[Source: California Poultry Federation]

Next to the conventional poultry houses, some Californian blue foot chicken are raised. Blue foot chickens (also called the California Poulet Bleu) are naturally grown in a free-range environment on a diet of whole grains and seeds.

possible ban on antibiotics will be implemented in the US, if ever. If this were to happen we have made the connections and relationships that would allow us to continue to serve”.

11WOP004_CCF 3711WOP004_CCF 37 4/26/2011 11:14:11 AM4/26/2011 11:14:11 AM


Molecular diagnostic methods have evolved signifi cantly over the years and together with our increased knowledge of DNA patterns of important poultry path-ogens such as E. coli we are able to predict or test the virulence and pathogenicity even better. At the same time, the com-putational changes have brought growth to new technologies. One of them is arti-fi cial neural networks (ANNs). An ANN is an information processing concept which is inspired from one of the most powerful and complex things known to mankind - the human brain. Most neural networks are software simulations run on conventional computers. The neural network is simply neurons (just like in the brain) joined together, with the out-put from one neuron becoming input to others until the fi nal output is reached. The use of self-organising networks such as ANNs have been widely used in many scientifi c areas but presently under-utilised in the poultry industry. ANNs, like people, learn by example and learn from patterns of interactions, without requiring a prior knowledge of relations between the variables under investiga-tion. An ANN can thus be trained to - for example - predict plasma hormones and liver enzymes in broiler chickens or the pathogenicity of E. coli bacteria. But an ANN can also be committed for breeder management, broiler breeder serological interpretation and hatchery manage-ment when suffi cient data is available.

Not only the variety of applications in animal research make ANNs an exciting area, livestock researchers also applaud the use of ANNs because these models do not require live animals for research, and thus may help in solving the ethical problems related to this.

Antimicrobial resistanceAt the recently held Western Poultry Diseases Conference, in Sacramento, USA, a signifi cant amount of papers were dedicated to the use of ANNs in poultry research. For example, Felipe de Oliveira Salle from the Center for Diagnosis and Research in Avian Pathology in Brazil explained recent work on using ANNs

to classify antimicrobial resistance from E. coli samples isolated from broilers. E. coli is a common pathogen in the poultry industry and ANNs are increasingly be-ing used as a tool to measure non-linear relations among variables. Studies on E. coli using ANNs deal essentially with the genetic identifi cation bases of DNA promoters, bacterial growth, predictions of mutagenicity and others. Virulence mechanisms of E. coli isolates potentially pathogenic for broilers have been con-tinuously studied but the classifi cation of genes that are pathogenic and/or associ-ated with pathogenicity is very complex. The purpose of the study by Salle and his team was to construct an ANN to predict

Artifi cial neural networks: A new tool in poultry research

By Emmy Koeleman

At the Western Poultry Diseases Conference, held last

March in Sacramento, the audience was served a bit of

a diffi cult subject: The use of artifi cial neural networks.

But what does it entail and what are the benefi ts for the

poultry industry?

An artifi cial neural network is an information processing concept which is inspired from one of the most

powerful and complex things known to mankind - the human brain. This concept is gaining interest among

poultry researchers as it gives more accurate results without live animal trials.

11WOP004_WPDC 3811WOP004_WPDC 38 4/26/2011 11:18:10 AM4/26/2011 11:18:10 AM


REVIEW

the results of antimicrobial resistance of 246 isolates of E. coli from poultry pro-duction. The inputs chosen to construct the ANN were pathogenicity indices, lesions induced in one-day old chicks, characterisation of the genes associated with pathogenicity, biochemical behav-iour and the origin and motility of the isolates. The outputs were resistance or sensitivity to 14 antibiotics. The research team showed that ANNs were capable of classifying bacterial resistance to the anti-biotics studied. ANNs also showed to be an excellent tool to infer the behaviour of a bacterial isolate to a certain antibiotic.

Classifi cation of pathogenicitySimilar work on E. coli has been per-formed by the same Brazilian research institute. Led by Carlos Tadeu Pippi Salle, this study specifi cally looked into the use of ANNs in predicting the patho-genicity of E. coli isolates from broilers. The virulence mechanisms of E. coli isolates potentially pathogenic for broil-ers have been continuously studied and it is supposed to be of multi-factorial cause. Certain properties are primarily associated with these strains and the most frequently mentioned include ad-hesion ability (pap and fel), production of colicins (cva), presence of aerobactin (iut), serum resistance (iss), temperature sensitive hemagglutin (tsh) and the pres-ence of some capsular antigens (kps). However, what sets apart virulent and avirulent strains remains a problem in diagnosis and consequently, in the deci-sion making by the fi eld veterinarian. Conventional procedures for determin-ing the pathogenicity of E. coli in which animals are inoculated are time consum-ing and expensive. In this study, an ANN was set up to predict the pathogenicity of E. coli. A total of 293 E. coli isolated were analysed (76 litter samples, 159 cellulitis lesions and 58 colispeticemic broiler or-gans). At the conference, Salle presented three neural networks, in which the input layer included information on the presence of papC, felA, cvaC, iutA, iss, tsh and kpsII genes, isolates motility and origin (colisepticemia, cellulitis and lit-ter). The output layer was formed by the “pathogenicity index” (PI) (Souza, 2006). In the fi rst network, PI varies from 0 to

10. In the second one, PI’s were grouped in three classes or categories: patho-genic/low pathogenicity with PI between 0 and 3.99; intermediate pathogenicity refers to PI’s between 4.00 and 6.99 and high pathogenicity with PI ranging from 7.00 to 10. Finally, a third network was constructed, in which daily situations experienced by fi eld veterinarians were represented and bacteria were considered as of low pathogenicity or intermediate pathogenicity. According to the research-ers, the characteristics of this model allow the classifi cation of isolates pathogenicity in broiler houses with a good degree of reliability, considering the sensitivity and the specifi city. It is important however to have a suffi cient amount of isolates per category to have a high sensitivity rate. Other factors that aff ect the sensitivity may include high diversity of genetic profi les or the fact that isolates with the same profi le presented diff erent PIs.

Analysing lymphoid depletionMoraes et al used the ANN technology to analyse the follicular lymphoid depletion in the bursa of Fabricius and presented some fresh results at the conference. The bursa of Fabricius is involved in many immunosuppressive diseases and has an important role in the characterisa-tion, diagnosis and monitoring of such conditions. Currently, the evaluation of bursal lymphoid depletion depends on a subjective histological evaluation and therefore susceptible to errors. ANNs can be used to minimise errors in the conven-tional optical technology. Fifty bursa of Fabricius samples were examined using conventional histological examination. The samples were scored three times by a single examiner with an interval of one day between the examinations. Ten slides of each score were randomly selected for image processing and essayed according to the following steps: change to grey scale, select the follicular area, all structures around the selected area were rubbed out, the number of pixels for grey scale of each image was estimated and the image histo-grams and table were constructed. These data provided the input for the ANN and used to train the ANN to obtain a digital score which is compared with the score obtained by optical classifi cation. This

study showed that the ANN was able to make a comparable classifi cation of digital and optical scores and was therefore – together with the image analysis – a help-ful tool in the diagnosis of follicular lym-phoid depletion in the bursa of Fabricius. One advantage of this new methodology is that it does not need special histological techniques, is more accurate and more reliable. In addition, it does not require sophisticated training to implement the referred protocol. However, the presence of a trained pathologist is essential for the diff erent diagnosis of other conditions.

Objective and more accurateIn the poultry industry, the fi rst models that used ANNs were published by Zhang et al in 1996, in the animal nutrition fi eld. But it is only since a few years that the interest for using ANNs has grown. It is a great tool for recognis-ing patterns in data and accurately predicting the performance and one of the great benefi ts is that researchers can predict pathogenicity of certain bacteria or viruses without the use of animals. The information gained from using ANNs can provide fi eld veterinarians with reports including the degree of pathogenicity of the isolates so that the decisions can be made more objectively and more accurately. In the near future, more research papers will probably surface, presenting more insights into how this savvy tool can be used for the benefi t of the poultry industry.

Artifi cial neural networks show promise in using it for breeder management, broiler breeder serological interpretation and hatchery management.

11WOP004_WPDC 3911WOP004_WPDC 39 4/26/2011 11:18:11 AM4/26/2011 11:18:11 AM

FIRST PLACE

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RESEARCH

Optimally reducing eggshell surface disinfectionThree experiments were conducted to evaluate treatment parameters in an eff ort to optimise the reduction of eggshell surface microorganisms using UV light (UV) and hydrogen peroxide. A UV chamber equipped with UV lamps (254 nm) was used in combination with hydrogen peroxide sprayed onto the eggs immediately before UV exposure. In the fi rst experiment, eggs were sprayed with 3%, 4.5% or 6% hydrogen peroxide before UV exposure for 1 or 2 min. Total aerobic microorganism enumeration was accomplished by rinsing eggs in phosphate buff ered saline and plating rinsate onto tryptic soy agar. Results indicated that 3% hydrogen peroxide reduced microbial counts (log10 cfu/egg) equal to 4.5% and 6%. It was also found that 1 min of UV exposure was as equally eff ective as 2 min. The second experiment examined the eff ect of repeated applications of the combination of hydrogen peroxide and UV exposure. UV was administered for 1 min in combination with 3% hydrogen peroxide for one, two and four applications. Data indicated that two applications resulted in lower eggshell microbial counts than one application, but four applications did not provide further reductions compared with two applications. In the third experiment, the eff ect of UV intensity in combination with hydrogen peroxide was investigated. Three UV intensities were used: high (14 mW/cm2), medium (8 mW/cm2), and low (1.3 mW/cm2). It was found that the medium intensity was equally as eff ective compared with the high, but the low intensity yielded the highest eggshell counts. The combination of these experiments has further defi ned the methodology for a simplistic eggshell disinfection technique that could have many applications in the commercial poultry industry where eggshell disinfection is important.Source: Proceedings of the 2011 IPSF, Atlanta, USA, S. M. Gottselig , K. S. Woodring, and C. D. Coufal, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

Strategies for reinforcing egg hygienic qualityDuring the European Union sponsored research projects Eggdefense and Rescape, diff erent strategies have been researched in order to reduce food safety risks associated with the consumption of eggs. The fi rst strategy was to reinforce the physical (egg shell) and chemical (antimicrobial proteins) protective mechanisms of eggs by identifying genes that code for proteins involved in egg production. The following step is to explore phenotypic variability in egg protection against Salmonella, related to environmental factors during egg production and storage and the feasibility to select hens with superior eggshell strength or anti-microbial alleles using marked assisted selection. Also improving the technology for egg grading using non-invasive methods to enhance the detection and elimination of eggs with the greatest risk to the consumer was one of the strategies. Finally, innovative egg decontamination treatments as alternatives to egg washing were developed. The risk of contaminated eggs can be controlled by reducing the degree of contamination. Therefore the decontamination effi ciency of hot air, gas plasma sterilisation, modifi ed atmosphere decontamination or chitosan treatment were studied.

Source: Y. Nys, S. Rehault-Godbert, J. Gautron, W. Messens, S. Leleu, K. Mertens, C. Perianu, I. Dunn, F. Pasquali, P. Rocculi, F. Sirri, A. Franchini, M. Bain and M. Hincke, Proceedings 9th Asia Pacifi c Poultry Conference, Taipei, Taiwan 2011

Control of pathogenic micro-organismsFood safety and quality has become an integral part of the relevant produc-tion processes to meet the strongly negative reactions of consumers and consumer organisations to recent crises in the food-animal industry. Truly safe products are free from microorganisms that are pathogenic to man (Salmonella, Campylobacter, etc.), and without any residues of substances used in primary production, including antibiotics, coccidiostats and other chemicals, or foreign bodies. Of great public health concern is the increased antibiotic resistance amongst isolates from poultry and other animals. Anti-biotic resistance is connected with genetic mechanisms. The widespread use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine promotes the develop-ment of resistant strains that can infect humans via the food chain. Another upcoming threat is the fact that of the patients with multiresistance against antibiotics, 70% carry bacteria that produce an enzyme that blocks the func-tion of antibiotics. This “Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)” enzyme is widely distributed in poultry and poultry products. However, bacteria are not the only microbial hazards. Viruses, as the noroviruses, are seen as an emerging cause of human food-borne illness. In the European Union (EU), there are several directives that relate to food safety and quali-ty. These are concerned with labelling, product liability and general hygiene principles. The current food law incorporates the basic principles of the HACCP concept. The new law adds a balanced system for product identifi -cation and registration, and a tracing and tracking mechanism has become mandatory. In the EU in 2008, Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen in humans. In foodstuff s the highest proportion of Campylobacter positive samples was reported from fresh poultry meat with 30.1% of samples positive. Campylobacter was also commonly detected from live poultry, pigs and cattle. Salmonellosis was the second most reported in 2008. The statistically signifi cant decreasing trend in the notifi cation rate of the Salmonellosis cases continued for the 5th consecutive year. S. enteritidis decreased, S. typhimurium increased.Source: R.W.A.W. Mulder, Proceedings 7th International Poultry Show and Seminar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2011

Awareness of the threat of avian infl uenza To feed the world’s growing population, dietary protein from avian and animal sources food production has to be increased by 70% by 2050. Control of Newcastle disease through vaccination complemented with better hus-bandry has been largely responsible for facilitating large scale production of chicken particularly in the Asia-Pacifi c region. The recognition of the highly pathogenic avian infl uenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 in chicken in Hong Kong in 1997, already at that time exposed the world to dual threats; (1) damage to poultry meat production and supply of other chicken products and (2) the possibility of a global infl uenza pandemic. It is imperative that the enor-mous gains in production are not lost to AIV’s of the range of H subtypes in the future. Better structural, professional and administrative mechanisms need to be put in place to deal with this. Multilevel education reaching out to governments, professionals, industry, village farmers and decision mak-ers is critical. The poultry extension offi cer who acts as an intermediary between farmer and veterinarian is the key person in the communication, as progress can fall apart in the absence of good communication at all levels. This is particularly important in village settings where AIV’s are frequently found. A pro-active, systematic virus surveillance and veterinary diagnosis for infection, both clinical and asymptomatic should support these eff orts. Source: K. F. Shortridge and A. M. Gibbens, Proceedings of the 9th Asia Pacifi c Poultry Conference, Taipei, Taiwan 2011

11WOP004_Research 4111WOP004_Research 41 4/26/2011 1:34:46 PM4/26/2011 1:34:46 PM

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