How the chain works

Key link

Various breeder/parent stock farms supply hatching eggs to a single hatchery. This hatchery then supplies the hatched chicks to various broiler or rearing farms. Hatcheries serve as a key link in the production chain. Eggs provided by different suppliers arrive in the same place and are mixed in a hatchery. Day-old chicks are subsequently distributed to different farms. A hatchery therefore acts as a pivotal link for disease control as well. Hygiene/biosecurity is therefore crucial in every link of the production chain. The hatchery managers must agree with the breeder farms and production farms on which hygiene protocols are applied.

Vertical integrations

In many countries, hatcheries are part of a vertically integrated system for the production of meat or consumption eggs. This means that the different links in the chain are all part of a single integration. In the case of independently operating links in the chain, the individual interests of each link weigh heavily, sometimes at the expense of the general interest. A bonus-malus system is often used to improve results. In general, vertical integration allows for more and stricter control measures if quality problems occur.

Hatchery

Breeder farm sector In practice, logistic considerations sometimes result in mixing eggs and/or chicks from different sources at the hatchery, but mixed flocks will always have a poorer performance. This practice also presents a biosecurity risk. copyright protected Hatchery

Production sites (broilers and layers) A hatchery really plays a pivotal role in the poultry sector and is therefore very important, but vulnerable at the same time. For this reason, optimal communication between the different links is vital.