Poultry Digest October/November 2017

poultrydigest October/November 2017

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Volume 33, Number 2

The Bare Bird: Hazeldene’s initiative for discerning 21st Century consumers Poultry Hub Australia holds first Ideas Exchange Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition 2017

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Volume 33, Number 2

The Bare Bird: the latest innovative product from Hazeldene’s.

Photo courtesy of Rob Daniel, Rob Daniel Photogrpahy.

October/November 2017

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NEWS

Poultry Hub Australia holds first Ideas Exchange Poultry Hub Australia, the industry research organization that is building on the successes of the Poultry CRC, held its first Ideas Exchange at the Novotel Brisbane on October 10-11, 2017.

The Ideas Exchange seminars are an annual event where researchers, postgraduates and industry meet to learn about and discuss important issues in the poultry industry.

Some simply spectacular research was revealed at the Ideas Exchange including the work of a young CSIRO scientist on biomarkers and microRNA. Those were projects conducted at AARL by Dr Tamsyn Crowley who now leads Poultry Hub Australia.

Dr Crowley opened the seminar and explained the vision for PHA. “Sharing knowledge through investing in research and PHA will generate new ideas and knowledge that will be disseminated to industry.

Targeted workshops and training will facilitate knowledge sharing,” she said.

“PHA will support industry internships and promote the poultry industry in high schools and universities with the intention of building industry capacity for the future.

“PHA will provide the opportunity for industry and researchers to connect through the annual Ideas Exchange conference, PoultryGrad and facilitated workshops, with the aim to develop ideas for future workshops.”

In the first session of the conference ‘Industry Insights’ John Dunn from Egg Farmers Australia spoke about ‘The Egg Debate – an ethical dilemma’.

Delving into the thorny issue of science, ethics and where we go from here, John explained the complexities of the thought and belief processes from both industry and animal welfare advocates.

Michael Beer from AgriFutures Australia (the successor to the RIRDC) spoke about ‘Chicken Meat – Current Challenges’ including key drivers for change.

These were, he explained, “growth in demand in line with increased population, climate change and environmental issues”.

“Then there are transformational technologies, choosy customers (and their elevated expectations for food production) and a wealthier world and the increasing food consumption that goes with rising middle classes.

“Around 90% of Australians eat

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chicken meat at least once a week and a third of Australians more than three times a week. The total consumer spend on chicken meat is $5.6 billion a year,” he revealed.

‘A new way to treat eggs’ was explained by free-range layer farmer Julie Kos who runs Kossies Free Range Eggs near Bendigo.

Julie is a constant innovator and after having success with marketing ‘Bubba Eggs’, small pullet laid eggs that appeal to children, she has now perfected a smoking technique that in effect, pasteurises the egg.

We describe Kossies Smoked Eggs in more detail in our new products section of this issue.

At lunch attendees at the Ideas Exchange were able to sample the product in both a salad and as a flavor enhancer to ice cream.

Dr Greg Parkinson from Livorno Consulting moved on to challenges in duck rearing, an industry worth $120 million per annum, producing around 10 million ducks in the same period.

“The genetic stock is sourced overseas by the two major producers, the Grimoud stock from France by Pepe’s Ducks and the Cherry Valley stock from the UK by Luv-a-Duck.

Amongst the key global influences on the industry are day old exports to SE Asia. There is a cooked Duck Meat Import Risk Assessment underway and there is cooked duck meat imported by New Zealand,” Greg explained.

He outlined vaccine and therapeutics usage, pointing out very limited use of antimicrobials in both breeder and growing ducks only conducted under close veterinary supervision.

“Welfare issues include surface water and behavioral repertoire, crusting eyes and nostril, beak trimming practice (episodic use of infra red beak trimmer).

“Research needs include misting and behavioral repertoire, epidemiology and bill trimming, automated nesting and feed efficiency,” he said.

Dr Peter Groves from Sydney University Poultry Research Foundation gave ‘A vet’s perspective – current and future challenges for our industries’ – Paranoia in a post-truth world.

“Health issues, welfare food safety and climate change are just a few of the key issues we face,” Dr Groves said.

“Most veterinarians enter university w

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1. Dr Tamsyn Crowley, Poultry Hub Australia. 2. John Dunn, Egg Farmers Australia. 3. Michael Beer from AgriFutures Australia.

3. Dr Greg Parkisson from Livorno Consulting.

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with idealism and a strong concern and affection for animals and this always remains but real life situations mean we often have to be less sentimental and more pragmatic.

“The primary objective of a vet working in the poultry industry is to maintain and improve the profitability of the client’s operation,” he stated.

The second session on the 10th was ‘New Ideas on the Horizon’ with PHA’s Lloyd Thompson in the Chair.

‘Detection of foodborne pathogens’ was the topic for Dr Valeria Torok from SAARDI. “There are more than four million cases of foodborne gastroenteritis annually with Norovirus, pathogenic E.coli, Campylobacter spp, and nontyphoidal Salmonella spp the most common causes,” Valeria stated in introducing her paper.

“There have been significant increases in both Salmonellosis and Campylobacteriosis since 2000.

“Diagnostic techniques include culturing and serotyping/phage typing, molecular detection and characterization, serological detection, and the use of biosensor technology,” she said.

“Issues with current diagnostic practice were with culture/microbiology, that it was time consuming (2-4 days) and that not all organisms can be cultured.

“Nucleic acid based detection detects both viable and non-viable organisms and there is a presence on inhibitors to the assay. Serology lacks sensitivity while issues with food sampling include both sample preparation and sensitivity of assays.”

Valeria next spoke about Aptamers “chemical antibodies that are single stranded oliogonucleotides (RNA or DNA) that are capable of binding strongly and selectively to a target molecule’.

“They offer outstanding performance and properties compared to antibodies,” she said.

“Antibodies rely on induction of an animal immune system. Aptamers can be fabricated to non-immunogenic or toxic targets and can be generated to specific regions of targets.”

Valeria went on to describe various aspects of current biosensor technology and described new developments in point of care devices being used for disease detection in human medicine and their potential.

Mick Atzeni from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in his paper, ‘Birds, balls and

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biosecurity: biting the bullet’ described a novel way to improve biosecurity around dams and lessen evaporation.

His solution to biosecurity and evaporation loss was to cover surfaces with black UV stabilised high density polyethylene balls 100mm/4 inch in diameter covering one square metre with 116 balls; each ball weighs 240gms of which 200g is water.

“They are easy to install, offer coverage of up to 90% of surface area, are wind resistant, reduce algal growth and last at least 10 years.”

Ben Wade reported on research undertaken at Deakin University, ‘Micro RNA Stress Test’.

In defining the need for a stress test in poultry, Ben outlined animal welfare issues, which he stated, “were not easy to pin down”.

“There is a danger of anthropomorphizing: just because I wouldn’t like it doesn’t mean a chicken wouldn’t and we need to include customer perspective,” he said.

“Stress, the non specific response of the body to any demand for change can be caused by a variety of factors and is not necessarily a bad thing.

“You won’t have poor welfare in the absence of stress, and can act as a proxy for welfare,” Ben said.

“MicroRNAs are small regulatory molecules which can be altered in regulation in response to numerous stimuli, and are present in almost all biological fluids.

“They are highly stable when compared to many other RNAs. “So, then could we use blood miRNA as a marker for stress?” Ben queried.

He then described trials conducted with 40 hens with the aim of identifying candidate miRNA. Ben stated that his research had identified a number of stress responsive miRNAs and demonstrated the possibility of differentiating between chronic and acute stress.

The next speaker, Natalie Morgan from UNE, spoke about a non-starch polysaccharide (NSPS) database – an online nutritional tool.

In answer to the question, “Why should we focus more on fibre when formulating?” Natalia stated, “Formulating diets based on crude fibre is meaningless.”

The NSPS database was established at UNE in 2016. To complete the task Natalie and those working with achieved a truly heroic result. undertaking 850 feed samples from 49 different ingredients. w

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1. Dr Peter Groves, Sydney University Poultry Research Foundation. 2. Dr Valeria Torok from SAARDI. 3. Mick Atzeni, from QLD DAF. 4. Ben Wade from Deakin University.

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The aim of the PHA project was to “provide industry with an interactive online database: strengthen the database by analysing more samples, then to disseminate the database in a populist way,” Natalie said.

The database will help develop new technologies that improve nutritional value of fibre and high fibre co-products, to meet energy and AA needs.

“There should be a net benefit of better animal performance, a greater return on the investment made in feed enzymes and consistency,” Natalie said.

Dr Rebecca Forder (Uni Adelaide) spoke next about ‘The Avian Maternal Environment (fine tuning; minor adjustments lead to great results).

Developmental programming can be defined as, “any situation where a stimulus or an insult during development establishes a permanent response,” Rebecca said.

“External influences on the mother bird alters development of her offspring and can go on to permanently affect growth, immunity, health and behavior of offspring: stress and stress hormones can be a critical factor in the development of layer birds.”

Rebecca then described maternal environment effects in meat birds including experiments with in ovo injections at ‘critical windows of development’.

After explaining further trials Rebecca stated that in future directions, “the mechanisms underpinning development programming have yet to be elucidated”.

Anti Microbial Resistance (AMR) is an ever present issue for livestock production and Anthony Keyburn in his paper ‘AMR-projects in Thailand’ reported on his research into the issue.

Opening with some observations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on anti microbial resistance in food such as, “major gaps in surveillance and data sharing hampered by no global standards, integrated surveillance systems needed for accurate comparison (animals, food products, human), and finally, “pursuing multi sectoral approach for collaboration,” Anthony pointed out.

On the situation regarding AMR in Australia Anthony revealed that, “there was low prevalence of AMR and that, in general, there was a conservative approach on antibiotics and that critically important antimicrobials are not used in industry, further Australia has high levels of animal husbandry, nutrition, hygiene, vaccination, and

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biosecurity, “he said.

Dr Margaret Sexton, Technical Manager poultry food production at Biosecurity South Australia, explained her valuable work in SA of ‘Managing Biosecurity’.

She described the SA One Biosecurity approach that commenced with cattle and sheep and has now progressed to include the state’s growing poultry industry.

“The industry already operates in a very bio secure aware environment at the high commercial end,” she said.

“However, their needs to be awareness of the complexities of poultry production, and needs to involve all stakeholders (small scale as well as large commercial).

“We need to closely examine the risks – where, what and when and we need to determine what specific information is required to mitigate these risks and what information is needed to help prepare for emergencies.”

In concluding, Dr Sexton emphasised the importance of ongoing communication between all parties involved in the poultry sector and equally vital, training new entrants to the industry.

Bridget Peachey from Australian Wool Industry (AWI) spoke next on her organisation’s Parabos system, ‘What it is and how it could help the poultry industry’.

“Parabos is a suite of three products developed for the management of blowflies, worms and lice and it is a source of detailed management information, tools and regional programs,” Bridget said.

“It was developed and is maintained by expert panels of parasitologists and veterinarians from across Australia; Parabos is funded by AWI and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) by UNE with industry oversight.

“With a growing trend of free range production and the increased risk of parasitic infections and biosecurity breaches from wild birds, the operation and structure of Parabos could be very relevant to the poultry sector.

The second day of Ideas Exchange opened with the session on ‘More ideas to consider’.

Dr Ben Wells, one of the poultry industry’s most experienced veterinarians in his paper ‘Data on litter amendment’ began by identifying problems with the various litter options facing growers.

Dr Wells started with single batch litter that could be, “expensive and CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 w

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1. Natalie Morgan from UNE. 2. Dr Rebecca Forder from the University of Adelaide. 3. Anthony Keyburn reported on antimicrobial resistance. 4. Bridget Peachey from AWI.

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The Hazeldene team: LtoR front row: Michelle, Emma and Vicki. Back row: Adam, John, Lee and Brett.

The Bare Bird: Hazeldene’s initiative for discerning 21st Century consumers

By PETER BEDWELL Poultry Digest has visited Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm, located near Bendigo in Victoria, on numerous occasions in recent years and each time the purpose of the visit has been to learn about industry shaping innovation.

On the latest trip in November we were to learn all about the company’s latest new product – a free range chicken raised on a vegetarian diet and

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without antibiotics – The Bare Bird.

Sitting in John Hazeldene’s office early on that morning, John was bubbling with enthusiasm for what has been a long planned project.

John is always aware of his company’s position in the market as a player in the second tier behind the big boys and how that can make them vulnerable, if and when the market swings into oversupply.

Speaking at the AMC/PIX Conference in 2016, John stated that at that time one truck load of chicken meat could dramatically affect the market price.

That is why Hazeldene’s, in the time Poultry Digest has known the company, has sought to survive and thrive through innovation.

After a major and capital-intensive overhaul of its processing facilities, which included controlled atmospheric stunning, aero scalding and extended air chilling – all key details in achieving

a better eating bird – Hazeldene’s then became the first company to adopt RSPCA broiler production protocols.

The management techniques developed during the RSPCA move, including lower stocking densities and greater focus on biosecurity, enabled Hazeldene’s General Manager of Farming, Karl Lawson, to reduce antimicrobial use.

John then recalls the emergence of The Bare Bird idea, and that was more than 25 years ago when he and Peter Scott first talked about poultry diets and eating quality.

The RSPCA initiative shifted the Hazeldene’s focus in other directions.

At first other industry participants were skeptical of the advantages of the RSPCA broiler code, delivering the company a brief marketing advantage before the rest of the industry jumped in.

“So RSPCA approved chicken just became a commodity and I went back to our idea about a unique product

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developed around both consumer preference and better eating quality,” John said.

Though Hazeldene’s supply all the big three retailers, it worked closely with Coles, firstly on the first RSPCA Broiler protocols and then as a launch partner for The Bare Bird.

Jackie Healing, who was for some time Coles’ Protein Supply Manager, was an enthusiast for vegetarian diets in commercial livestock production.

It is fair to speculate that in the UK market, where much of her career developed, problems with animal bi-products in feed would have made Jackie keen to look at alternative options.

“If we could produce a viable product with the three key benefits of being free range, antibiotic free and with better eating quality, largely delivered by a vegetarian diet, we could create a brand with a really strong consumer appeal. Coles certainly thought so,” John said.

“We have put a lot of effort into bringing our new brand to market and making sure that what we claim is absolutely accurate and credible.

“The birds are FREPA accredited for the free range element and we have been working with FREPA for more than two decades.

“The vegetarian diet, which is free from all animal bi-products, is one of our key points of difference.

“There are plenty of complexities in creating the ideal diet for our Bare Bird, but the basic concept is the benefit of unsaturated fats which helps to generate a more ‘marbled meat’ and hold moisture for longer.

“On pricing at store level, The Bare Bird will sell for around $8.50 a kilo for whole birds or $21 a kilo for breast fillet compared to basic free range chicken meat that trades around $6 a kilo for whole birds and $18 a kilo for breast fillet,” he explained.

Michelle Daniel is a third generation member of the Hazeldene clan and first started work in the family business when she was 10. After studies and various life experiences, Michelle has now become General Manager of Marketing at Hazeldenes.

Her focus on creating a low volume, higher margin brand in a market sector more dependent on price than anything else for consumer appeal, is ferocious.

She appreciates that in a niche market, creating a brand that sells on aspects other than price requires sharp attention to detail and good simple truths that are understood by consumers.

“We have a clear and positive message with our three key benefits being free range, antibiotic free and in particular our vegetarian diet that

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1. The Bare Bird. Yes, I do taste better! 2. Most of the free range farms are located in isolated areas of Victoria. 3. Karl Lawson, General Manager of Farming and Michelle Daniel, General Manager of Marketing at Hazeldene’s. delivers better eating quality,” she said.

“We have great hopes for all elements in the food trade and have asked internationally renowned chef Raymond Capaldi to create recipes to promote The Bare Bird during the launch period.

“As a matter of interest, apart from his fame in Melbourne (Grace Restaurant) Mr Capaldi’s international career included a spell working for the British Embassy in Moscow.

“Getting our production capacity correct to meet demand in the local market is most important. Coles is our biggest customer and The Bare Bird has commenced trading in strategically

selected stores across NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

“I believe that consumer health will become the key selling point of the product backed up by the established appeal of a free range bird.

“However, The Bare Bird product has aspects that support retailer confidence.

“Shelf life is greatly improved and the processing protocols using aero scalding and clean water reduces cross contamination. The birds start as a cleaner product. Drip loss is also significantly reduced by air chilling.

“It is vital that we stick to simple CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 w

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v CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 truths in a product that has been generated using a number of complex and highly specific elements.

“The pack designs for both whole bird and breast fillet remove oxygen which further contributes to improved shelf life. The ‘skin pack’ will stand out in retail stores.

“This product has been seven years in the making and we started on our path to reduce antibiotics back in 2012.

“The majority of the birds that are grown for The Bare Bird brand are raised on farms in an isolated part of central Victoria in the Wimmera region which greatly assists in the task of maintaining biosecurity,” Michelle said.

Vicki Gaudion, the other Director of Hazeldene’s, also recalls the path to The Bare Bird product starting with the Dr Peter Scott conversations years earlier, but really coming to life with the valuable input of Judy O’Keeffe, of Sure-feed.

“We progressed to working with numerous companies over diet formulation. But it was the enthusiasm of working with Jackie Healing and later Rob Cumine at Coles that really got us going on the vegetarian bird diet pathway,” Vicki said.

Apart from consumer appeal and in-store response, Vicki considers the combination of AB free and the vegetarian diet in a free range chicken product will have immense appeal in the food service and restaurant sector.

With much said about the creation of The Bare Bird product, the job of actually turning the birds into a shelf ready product falls to the processing team of which Adam Hazeldene is a key leader.

“Our production team, led by Anthony Tavelli, was really enthusiastic about the product and building confidence in our ability to handle a separate production stream as well as matching supply to demand during the launch period. It did present some challenges,” Adam said.

“We are still fine tuning the packaging process after a substantial number of trial runs but basically, we are there.

“The primary processing plant, upgraded in 2011-12, is state of the art but looking to future expansion in capacity we want to replace some ageing infrastructure.

“We operate a fully segregated production process for The Bare Bird line and have instituted full traceability protocols,” he said.

Another interesting point is that on The Bare Bird production line, instead of utilising an automated boning out process which is common to most poultry production, hand boning is used, with all breast fillet aged on the

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bone for one day.

This may not mean anything significant to Australian consumers, but when Poultry Digest visited the state of the art poultry processing plants in Parana in Brazil that were supplying ‘niche product’ markets in Japan and Europe, the companies involved had abandoned automated boning in favour of a manual process to satisfy a particular demand in those markets.

Poultry Digest also spoke to Judy O’Keeffe from Sure-feed Pty Ltd, the nutritionist that worked with Hazeldene’s to achieve a viable vegetarian fed broiler meat product.

Judy did confirm that it had been a long process but that the key aim of producing a product that delivered better eating quality, and as she puts it ‘mouth feel’, had been achieved and without compromising welfare for the birds,” she said.

At the same PIX conference where John Hazeldene expressed his fears about the struggle for survival for broiler producers, senior analyst at Rabobank,

1. The Bare Bird is antibiotic free, vegetarian fed and free range. The packing removes oxygen for improved shelf life and the ‘skin pack’ will stand out in the stores.

2. CEO John Hazeledene is very enthusiastic about the company’s new product.

3. Adam Hazeledene, head of the processing team says the company has some production challenges ahead.

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Angus Gidley Baird had this to say about the Australia chicken meat sector in 2014.

“The demand is still rising but it may flatline and there needs to be more value adding in the industry to generate better margins.”

He also suggested that producers look to overseas markets if they wanted to continue to expand.

Poultry Digest did raise the question of exports with the Hazeldene’s management team and the answer, especially from Michelle, was that they wanted to focus on the domestic market before tackling potential lucrative markets in Asia.

John Hazeldene did confirm that they were already selling product into Hong Kong but reaffirmed that their focus right now is on the home market.

Gereral Manager of Farming at Hazeldene’s, Karl Lawson, shares the enthusiasm of the management team for the launch of The Bare Bird.

His final comment, “I wish that everything didn’t take so long.”

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Changes for Agrifutures Chicken Meat Program AgriFutures Chicken Meat Program has introduced exciting changes this year, which aim to increase the efficiency of the nation’s most popular and affordable meat.

Taking a fresh approach to research, development and extension (RD&E), AgriFutures Australia has: • introduced two new roles to the Chicken Meat Program; • engaged a consultant to develop the ways in which industry can become more engaged in research; • introduced support for researchers to design projects; and • invited industry representatives to advise and guide the conduct of projects through steering committees.

“Put simply, the reason for the changes is to speed up the adoption of the research,” said Michael Beer, AgriFutures Australian General Manager, Research and Innovation.

“We want the industry to have a stronger sense of ownership and actively participate in research and development and knowledge sharing.”

The Australian chicken meat industry is one of the most efficient in the world with Australians consuming more than 46kg per person each year.

A fundamental shift for the AgriFutures Chicken Meat Program is an increased focus on communicating research outcomes and streamlining research proposal applications.

Dr Kylie Hewson has stepped into the Program Development role and brings with her a decade of specialised experience in the poultry industry.

“I’m looking forward to contributing to the industry through developing a greater understanding of the capacity of businesses and universities to undertake research,” Dr Hewson said.

“I will also be working with industry to improve the understanding of research priorities and help researchers to develop proposals.”

Georgie Townsend will be promoting extension opportunities and research outcomes as Extension Officer.

“I will be working on regular communication with industry by using communication tools more effectively, such as emails, news articles, workshops, forums and growing our presence at existing industry conferences,” she said.

Scheduled forums over the next

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nine months will engage targeted stakeholders in specific arenas, including veterinary, nutrition, processing and livestock management.

“We are in a relationship building phase and will be speaking to, listening and reacting to the priorities identified by stakeholders,” Ms Townsend said.

To further boost the value of extension, an independent consultant will be engaged to deliver feedback on the overall extension framework. A report with recommendations is scheduled for completion in July 2018.

At the start of new projects, a new initiative will be introduced to connect industry and researchers from the onset to ensure alignment of ideas.

“Bringing these conversations forward to the commencement of new projects will ensure current industry issues have commercial relevance at the completion of the work.”

Finally, steering committees will be established for each new project which will consist of chicken meat industry representatives, who can assist AgriFutures Australia in research design and how to communicate projects and outcomes to the industry.

They will be a point of contact at each project milestone and will assist with industry engagement and communication.

An ambitious new direction to grow the prosperity of rural industries AgriFutures Australia is the new name for Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), but it’s much more than a name change, according to Managing Director John Harvey.

The organisation has set its sights on a bold new direction to grow the long-term prosperity of Australian rural industries.

The organisation formerly known as RIRDC has seen a great deal of change over the past 12 months.

It’s been a convergence of circumstances – new location in Wagga Wagga NSW, new Chair Mrs Kay Hull AM, new Managing Director and new team.

“These changes have given us new insights and presented new possibilities

AgriFutures Australia’s Managing Director John Harvey. for how we deliver value to Australia’s rural industries,” said Mr Harvey.

“AgriFutures Australia represents many months of research and discussion with stakeholders and it is a name that reflects a significant change within our organisation.

“We’re looking ahead and are firmly focused on our goal – to grow the longterm prosperity of rural industries and communities through research, innovation, and developing human capacity and leadership.”

“The new AgriFutures Australia Strategic Plan 2017-2022 focuses on four key areas: people and leadership, national challenges and opportunities, growing the profitability of our rural industries, and establishing emerging industries.

“It also takes advantage of the organisations unique cross-sectoral mandate to look at opportunities and issues facing all rural industries.

“We want to lead collaborative research in agriculture and drive innovation of national and global significance,” said Mr Harvey.

AgriFutures Australia’s focus is on: 1.Attracting talented people into the agriculture sector and building the skills of emerging industry leaders; 2. Identifying and addressing challenges and opportunities that are common across rural sectors, for example supporting our country’s ag-tech innovation ecosystem; 3. Delivering value through profitability improvements to our levied rural industries like rice, chicken meat and export fodder; and 4. Establishing high-value potential emerging rural industries.

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NEWS

Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition 2017 The 2017 Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition Conference (RAAN) was held at the University of New England on October 25 to 27, 2017.

Though traditionally a multi species oriented gathering, papers on poultry nutrition dominated which is hardly surprising given that UNE has been the base for two Poultry CRCs and now its successor Poultry Hub Australia.

Professor Roger Hegarty welcomed delegates and Professor Bob Swick, the main event organiser, gave the opening address.

In Session 1 on October 25, Dr Nick Hudson (University of Queensland) spoke about ‘Mitochondrial metabolism: a driver of energy utilisation and product quality’.

“High feed efficiency is a very desirable production trait as it positively influences resource utilisation, profitability and environmental considerations, albeit at the possible expense of product quality.

“Revisiting this body of work reinforces a need to better structurally characterise production animal mitochondria in terms of both content and morphology,” he said.

“A basic TEM analysis quantifying the folding of the IMM and OMM with regard to the mitochondrial matrix (mitochondrial structure) would help interpretation of the mountain of molecular data we are currently analysing.

“It would help check the status of muscle aerobic capacity (mitochondrial content) in modern versus previous generations of animals, such as the broilers analysed by Kiessling back in the late 1970s.

“Inclusion of wild red jungle fowl in this particular context would clarify several question relating to the consequences of domestication and subsequent selection on growth and efficiency,” Nick suggested.

It has been traditional at RAAN not only to explore the frontiers of nutritional science but to look at maybe less traditional paths to improving human protein supply.

Dr Sarah Bonny from the University of Tasmania in her paper ‘Artificial meat and the future of the meat industry’, took a look into the factors that could lead to artificial meat being an accepted and generally consumed item.

Apart from the obvious pressure created by a growing population on protein supply, Sarah mentioned some

20

potential human health issues with meat consumption.

“Animal welfare is an emerging issue that is of increasing importance for consumers and for government regulators.

“Consumers are concerned about the treatment of livestock and this may reflect a new phase of human and animal relations,” Sarah said.

“For the agricultural industry to meet global demands for protein, it is likely that a combination of many new technologies will be required.

“Different groups of consumers are demanding a variety of modifications to current meat producing practices and it would be detrimental to the agricultural industry to ignore these pressures.

“Currently, the only products that are widely available to consumers are conventional meat products and meat replacement products manufactured from plant proteins and micro-proteins.

“Conventional meat production systems will have to respond to consumer concerns and deliver a high quality product to remain at the premium end of the protein market.”

Dr Natalie Morgan (UNE) tackled the increasingly broad subject of ‘Managing gut health without reliance on antimicrobials in poultry’.

“Excessive and extensive use of antimicrobials, coupled with a recent global paradigm shift from interest in productive efficiency to public security, has given rise to concern about the potential development of antimicrobial resistant human pathogenic bacteria.”

Natalie revealed an extensive list of nutritional options including organic and fatty acids, phytobiotics, probiotics and prebiotics, enzyme supplementation and phytase use in diets.

“No single alternative may be as effective as antimicrobials, but a combination of strategies and feed additives can be used to achieve good gut health and hence, growth performance in a post microbial era.

“Further research is warranted to develop feed enzymes for inducing desirable changes in the gastrointestinal microbiota.

“Elucidation of the dynamics of the gastrointestinal microbial community is imperative for establishing strategies to improve poultry performance and uniformity, to avoid diseases and to develop more efficacious feed enzyme systems.

“Molecular-microbiology techniques w

1

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1. Dr Nick Hudson, University of QLD. 2. Dr Sarah Bonny, University of Tasmania. 3. Dr Sonia Liu, University of Sydney. 4. Dr Mike Bedford from AB Vista.

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NEWS v

are an important component of research in this field and for quantifying beneficial and detrimental microbial populations,” Natalie concluded.

This was a far reaching paper on a subject that is possibly the single greatest scientific issue facing livestock and particularly, the poultry industry now.

The time for talk about how to fix this AB resistance and use, is moving to “what are we doing about it?”

This month one of Australia’s most innovative integrators released its broiler chicken raised on a vegetarian diet without antibiotics – and it’s an accredited free range product. See this issue ‘The Bare Bird’.

Dr Sonia Liu, now a lecturer at Sydney University presented a paper, ‘Starch and protein digestive dynamics in low protein diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids’.

In a wide ranging report of her research (assisted by Dr Peter Selle) she asked the question “Why rapidly digestible protein?’

‘Synthetic and protein bound amino acids, glucose, low protein diets and the impact of lipid on digestive dynamics of starch and protein were further topics explained before conclusions were reached.

“In Australia, broiler diets are routinely supplemented with crystalline lysine, methionine and threonine.

Moreover an increasing array of both essential and non essential crystalline amino acids are becoming commercially available.

“Modern broiler chickens have a higher growth rate than did the broiler chickens bred 30 years ago.

“Thus, the digestive dynamics between protein bound and crystalline amino acids, and between protein and starch may influence feed conversion efficiency and protein deposition.

“To enhance the utilisation of crystalline amino acids in low protein poultry diets, studies are required to determine the effects of starch and protein digestive dynamics on the digestion, adsorption and transition of amino acids and glucose,” Sonia concluded.

Dr Mike Bedford from AB Vista spoke about ‘Recent findings regarding calcium and phytase in poultry production.’

“Calcium (Ca) is an essential element for poultry and even a mild deficiency can lead to significant welfare and performance issues.

“As a result, it is often fed at levels in excess of requirement, partly as an insurance policy and, to some degree,

22

because of its relatively low cost compared with other feed ingredients,” Dr Bedford said.

He spoke about calcium excess, phytate destruction (a benefit beyond provision of P), the role of Ca in phytate hydrolysis, calcium, P and lower phytate esters, calcium availability and gizzard pH. In concluding “Calcium is an essential element and deficiency is to be avoided at all costs,” he said.

Apart from the quality of the speakers and the science they deliver, RAAN is a great social occasion.

Those that choose to stay at the Mary White College can relive their undergraduate days with a warm comfy, if small bed and the conviviality of shared washroom facilities.

An easy amble through the pleasant surroundings to the bar at the Stro is an experience enjoyed by the many regulars at RAAN events.

The conference dinner at Mary White College was excellent and delegates at the opposite ends of what are both illustrious careers were recognized.

John McGleish the ‘Johnny Farnham’ of the feed additive sector would like to retire but circumstances would not permit it so once again, he was at RAAN. Ines Rodrigues, yet another truly promising post grad at UNE, won the prize for the best poster ‘Intermittent lighting improves broiler efficiency during a necrotic enteritis challenge’ – a truly topical piece of research.

We will be running her paper in the next issue as well as the poster presented byMatt Bekkar from Novus.

1 2

3

4

1. Ines Rodrigues from UNE won Best Poster. 2 John McGleish from ADM. 3. Dr Isa Runke from UNE. 4. Pre-dinner drinks at the Mary White College.

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SBA’s new farms provide ongoing confidence to Australian egg prodcuers Specialised Breeders Australia (SBA) has announced that it has stocked the first of four planned new farms in northern Victoria.

The new facilities are part of a multimillion capital works program to increase livestock supply security for Australian egg producers.

Richard Rayner, CEO of SBA, explained “As the market leading supplier of livestock to Australian egg producers, SBA takes its responsibility to the industry extremely seriously.

“Four years ago the board and management of SBA recognised that the emerging disease risk to the poultry industry required a very thoughtful response.

“With our genetics and commercial chick farms in close proximity to each other and to our hatchery, we accepted that significant investment was required to spread our risk, so a five year capital works program was initiated.

“The first and most critical part of the plan was the design and delivery of a state of the art hatchery. We have also upgraded our fleet of delivery trucks, and we are now embarking on building farms for the production of commercial chicks.”

Four parcels of land have been secured, each with a significant bio-security buffer, between the company’s Huntly base and Rochester, where SBA’s new hatchery is located.

Steve Ligoli, Livestock Manager for SBA, said “The farms feature full shower on facilities and modern tunnel ventilated sheds providing full environmental

26

The first farm has been stocked to supply security for egg producers.

Ac control through Skov control panels.

“Each shed will contain 16,000 head of breeding stock to supply the commercial Hy-Line and Lohamnn Brown hatching eggs for day old chick production.

“The use of Hato 2900k warm white LED lighting alongside variable speed BlueFans, provide outstanding energy efficiency.

“The sheds are fitted with Jansen nest boxes and slats and we have configured the sheds with one third deep litter to give the birds an enriched environment,” he concluded.

“With the first farm complete and stocked we are looking forward to

completing this capital works program to provide greater livestock supply security to Australian egg producers,” Mr Rayner said.

“Specialised Breeders Australia (SBA) is the largest supplier of day old chicks and point of lay pullets to the Australian egg industry.

“Based close to the Victorian city of Bendigo and employing approximately 140 staff, SBA supplies the world’s leading layer breeds, Hy-Line Brown and Lohmann Brown to Australian egg producers.”

For more information on Specialised Breeders Australia please visit www.specialisedbreeders.com.au.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US RAISE $1O0,000

Thank you to all the producers, resellers, veterinarians and the broader rural community for your support. Your generosity helped Zoetis raise $100,000 for beyondblue. We are proud to partner with you in supporting mental health in rural Australia. beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman (centre) receives a cheque from Zoetis Business Unit Director for Livestock Fred Schwenke (left) and Zoetis General Manager for Australia and New Zealand Lance Williams (right).

ZOETIS OFFERS AN EXTENSIVE RANGE OF LEADING CATTLE, SHEEP, PIG, POULTRY AND GOAT VACCINES AND PARASITICIDES For more information regarding these products talk with your rural reseller, Zoetis representative or call 1800 963 847.

Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 94 156 476 425. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2017 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved 10/17 ZL0811 For more information on this campaign visit www.zoetis.com.au/communitysupport

NEWS

Alltech Lienert Australia Cage-free unites innovative companies egg demand lower than supply in the USA Animal health and nutrition companies, Alltech Australia and Lienert Australia, will unite to form Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd as of January 1, 2018.

The current activities of Keenan and Alltech E-CO2 in Australia, both of which are Alltech companies, will be conducted under Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd. This union will align the offerings and services of both companies, simplify processes and procedures, and will ultimately enhance the quality of service to customers in Australia, according to Mark Peebles, Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd GM. “Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd, located in Roseworthy, Australia, will continue to provide its range of quality Alltech products, services, nutrition programs and technologies throughout Australia,� he said. “By uniting the companies, we will effectively be combining highly successful businesses in terms of resources and expertise, resulting in even better nutrition, health programs and services for our clients’ operations. “This move will allow our business to strengthen our nutritional technical support, as well as research and development, to bring new, innovative products to the market.  “Our team will be able to offer a wider range of products with more

Project1:PoltexAd2 21/03/14 3:47 PM Page 1

localised nutrition support,� he said. “Customers will be able to order Alltech, Lienert, Keenan and Alltech E-CO2 products from one company, receiving their order in one shipment and on one invoice. It will also provide clarity on our position in the market.� “Both Lienert Australia and Alltech are dedicated to bringing nutritional solutions to the farm and the food industry. “For more than 40 years, Lienert Australia has manufactured, distributed and supplied ingredients, supplements and nutritional expertise to the livestock and feedstock industries in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Its customers range from small family farms to integrated operations and commercial feed mills. “Alltech is a family owned company headquartered just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, USA, with a strong presence in all regions of the world. Alltech has operated as a private company in Australia since 1997 and has been recognised within the continent for its nutritional innovations as well as its educational and philanthropic endeavours.  “Existing customers of Alltech Australia and Lienert Australia will be able to access the same expertise and benefits as previously, and their contacts will remain the same.�

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Because consumer demand for more expensive cage-free eggs remains low and a glut of cage-free eggs exists, US company Rose Acre Farms is at least temporarily discontinuing the addition of cage-free laying systems, or as CEO Marcus Rust put it, the company is “shutting its construction program down�.

With all major grocery chains and a large percentage of restaurant and foodservice companies committing to only purchasing cage-free eggs by a certain date, many US egg producers, including Rose Acre Farms, started transitioning their farms to using cagefree laying systems.

Rose Acre Farms, the second largest egg company in the United States, over the past four years spent about $250 million on cage-free operations and now has about 20% of its hens in cage-free housing.

But with consumers still preferring to pay the lower price for cageproduced eggs, it has put egg producers in a position where they have to make decisions regarding whether to continue to add cage-free laying systems, or to put those plans on hold and see how companies follow through with their pledges to source only cagefree eggs.

Rose Acre Farms is not the only major egg producer to pull back from expanded cage-free egg production.

During its earnings report for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, which was released on October 2, Cal-Maine Foods CEO Dolph Baker said that because the supply of cage-free eggs is not consistent with the demand, the company has adjusted its cage-free egg production levels in line with the current customer demand.

Cal-Maine Foods is the largest egg producer in the United States and in the world.

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NEWS

Alltech Australia introduces new service to improve farm efficiency and sustainability Agri-environmental firm Alltech has introduced Alltech E-CO2 to strengthen its service offering to livestock producers in Oceania.

Alltech E-CO2 is a market-leading, agri-environmental farm efficiency software and consultancy company specialising in farm-level environmental carbon and water assessments.

Alltech E-CO2 provides on-farm environmental assessments and programs for producers, processors, retailers and governments to measure and reduce the emissions associated with producing agricultural products.

After an initial pilot phase in Oceania, Alltech E-CO2 is excited to provide Carbon Trust certified Oceanic models to the Australian and New Zealand industries.

“Through the analytical tools of Alltech E-CO2, we are able to work alongside producers to make gains in their herds’ efficiency and their farms’ profitability, all while lowering their carbon footprint,” said Matthew Smith, Alltech Vice President of Asia-Pacific.

“Today’s producers do not need to make a choice between profitability and sustainability. Alltech E-CO2’s data

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Alltech E-CO2, with its headquarters based in the United Kingdom, has developed a portfolio of environmental software and services in response to the need to further understand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and the food chain.

Its clients range from small family farms to integrated livestock operations and commercial feed mills, as well as large retailers and processors increasingly under pressure to reduce their environmental footprint and meet government and corporate sustainability targets.

“Alltech believes that the future of agriculture depends on solutions that are beneficial to the animal, consumer and environment,” said Dr Susanne Roth, Alltech E-CO2 coordinator for Alltech Oceania.

“We believe passionately that reducing the environmental impact of agriculture involves simultaneously delivering value to the farmer.”

“Alltech E-CO2 assessments determine the environmental impact of a farm as a holistic measure of overall efficiency.

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“Assessments are directly linked to physical and financial performance, where custom feeding regimes and management practices can be developed to sustainably improve farm efficiency and profitability.”

Recent environmental assessments conducted by Alltech E-CO2 on 58 dairy and 11 beef units across Europe has shown how farm efficiency improvements can boost profitability whilst also reducing the carbon footprint of the enterprise.

In the study, which was carried out utilising Alltech E-CO2 environmental tools, various herd efficiency improvements delivered an average of €238 (AUS $358) extra per cow per year for dairy and €44 (AUS $66) extra per head per day for beef, and there was a significant drop in carbon emissions.

To learn more about how Alltech E-CO2 can help you and your agricultural production, visit www.alltech-eco2.com or email Susanne Roth at sroth@alltech.com.

Hy-Line hosts Tech School Hy-Line International recently hosted a record-breaking technical school which attracted more than 160 customers from more than 40 countries.

The program included a series of presentations given by Hy-Line Technical Services and Research teams as well as industry experts.

Speakers presented topics ranging from pullet nutrition, biosecurity and infectious disease to hatchery management and egg nutrition. An entire day was devoted to live demonstrations and workshops at Hy-Line’s Dallas Center, Iowa campus, detailing vaccination technique, hatchery breakout, poultry lighting, genomic selection and more.

Participants also visited the Hy-Line Egg Quality Laboratory.

Dr Douglas Grieve, Hy-Line’s Director of global technical services,said “It was great to receive our worldwide friends and colleagues. We learn a lot from them while updating them on recent genetic advancements.”

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Contact: Munters Pty Ltd Sudhee Satyan +972-3-920-6200 sudhee.satyan@munters.com.au Unit 2C, 6Email: Boundary Road, 18 Hasivim St, P.O Box 6857, Petach Tikva, Israel Mobile: 157 Northmead NSW0418 2152 206 Australia MabunuMobile: +61 418www.rotem.com Tel: +61 2Tich 88431594, 206 157 Email: Tich.mabunu@munters.com.au sudhee.satyan@munters.com.au/ munters.com.au Rotem - A Munters Company Mobile: 0407 021 446

NEWS

$100,000 raised to support mental health in rural Australia by Zoetis An impressive $100,000 has been raised for beyondblue to support the mental health of regional Australians, thanks to leading animal health company Zoetis.

This is the second year running that Zoetis has raised $100,000 for beyondblue by donating $5 from each sale of its cattle,sheep, pig, poultry and goat vaccines and drenches.

Zoetis General Manager Lance Williams said the company recognised the urgent, ongoing need to help Australians in rural areas. “The rate of suicide in rural areas is about 50% higher than in major cities and we wanted to make a tangible difference to this disturbing figure,� Mr Williams said.

According to the National Rural Health Alliance, people

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living in rural areas face numerous barriers to seeking help for mental health issues. These barriers include stigma and reduced access to services and treatment geographically or financially. “Zoetis is passionate about supporting hard-working regional Australians. Our staff travel more than two million kilometres each year helping farmers and have seen first-hand the kind of impact that this isolation can have on them,� Mr Williams said. “We encourage our staff and the wider community to continue to raise awareness of depression, anxiety and suicide prevention and help reduce the associated stigma,� said Mr Williams. beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman thanked Zoetis for its amazing efforts to support the mental health of regional and rural Australians. “Rural Australians are at greater risk of mental health conditions, self-harm and suicide due to a range of circumstances that are specific to remote areas,� Ms Harman said. “They experience greater vulnerability to weather events and economic change, isolation and loneliness, social stigma and stoicism, and reduced access to support services. “The generous and ongoing support from Zoetis allows beyondblue to provide these communities with services and supports to protect their mental health when they need it. “This donation from Zoetis means we can respond to nearly 3000 contacts to our 24/7 Support Service.�

For more information about anxiety, depression and suicide prevention, visit www.beyondblue.org.au or call the 24/7 beyondblue Support Service on 1300 22 4636.

Cargill, Diamond V to join forces in US Cargill has announced it has signed a binding agreement to acquire Diamond V, a leading global provider of innovative natural solutions and technologies that improve animal health, animal performance, and food safety.

This acquisition, which follows Cargill’s recent investment in Delacon, a leader in natural, plant-based phytogenic additives, will give Cargill major participation in the $20 billion global animal feed additives market, as well as world-class technical, regulatory and R&D capabilities and go-to-market strength in approximately 70 countries worldwide. “This acquisition strengthens Cargill’s and Diamond V’s shared vision to be a leader in creating new solutions for evolving consumer preferences for sustainable and wholesome food production,� said David MacLennan, Cargill’s Chairman and CEO. “Our combined businesses will accelerate growth, build industry-leading capabilities and natural solutions for animal health and food safety, and help fulfill Cargill’s purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.� “Diamond V has a 75-year history and global reputation for developing unique, research-proven immune support technologies that work naturally with the biology of the animal to strengthen the immune system and promote a healthy digestive system to enhance animal health, animal performance, and food safety.�

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NEWS wCONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

sometimes scarce, frequently not supplied at the adequate depth, was expensive to heat to appropriate temperature and often isn’t, and may have excessive moisture that causes cake and Foot Pad Dermititis.

On ‘heaping’ or composting problems were, “both cost and time, expensive equipment needed, and the process generally requires at least a 10day break. These factors lead to grower resistance with added issues around work needed, odour when material is broken, and often a major problem with ammonia.

Dr Wells went on to ask why our industry has not adopted the US industry practices of re-using litter, the biology of 150 mm of re-used litter, rotary hoeing, the use of sodium bisulphate and the benefits of a well managed litter re-use strategy.

Odour control in sheds was presented by Peter Gamble, Best Solutions and Stuart Arthy, Arthy Rural Services, and looked into odour control in intensive livestock (including poultry) by trialing five products supported by either anecdotal or empirical evidence.

We look forward to reporting on those trials to be conducted in SE Qld as they move to completion.

Dr Steve Walkden-Brown from UNE gave an update on ‘Vaccine for Hemorrhagic Enteritis of Turkeys – Where are we at?’

He outlined the disease as being caused by Turkey siadenovirus 3(HEV) which is a worldwide issue, confirmed in

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1

Australia in the 1980s.

“It is an indistinguishable spleen disease of pheasants (MSD), and avian adenovirus splenology in chickens (AAS). It generates acute and immunosuppressive syndromes in turkeys, but can be controlled by vaccination,” he said.

Producing an effective vaccine for HEV was the aim of Poultry CRC Project 1.1.9 i.e.

“So where have we ended up?

“We have good HEV diagnostics; vaccine in freezers at Bioproperties available for industry use in field testing and a draft APVMA dossier ready for minor use permit,” he concluded.

Emma Sanders is an assistant agricultural technologist working with Inghams.

Her path to what is for her, ‘the dream job’ was not an easy one.

Her initial studies led to a law degree, however determined to work in the poultry industry, she gained qualifications to help to achieve her ambition.

Studying at Gatton but also raising a family she covered thousands of kilometers in securing her qualifications and eventually got a job at Inghams where she works today.

Poultry Digest looks forward to interviewing Emma for a future edition.

Emma’s story does highlight a problem and that is the difficulty many young people find in gaining a foothold in commercial poultry production.

PHA is well aware of this situation and one of its core strategies will be to

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1. Ben Wells spoke about litter otpions 2. Emma Sanders from Inghams. devise better paths for young people at all levels of education, be they high school leavers, graduates or those gaining a trade qualification.

Dr Kylie Hewson from Australian Poultry Industries Association, The Australian Chicken Meat Federation and RIRDC spoke about ‘Data Visualisation’ and in particular the pitfalls of mis-communication.

“There are two options when your message does not get through.

“The first is to blame people for being stupid, insensitive or somehow unreasonable, or secondly, to take responsibility and change the way you communicate your message,” she said.

In summing up the Ideas Exchange, Tamsyn Crowley spoke about how to communicate with PHA and the critical topic of funding.

“We will primarily focus on poultry production related to projects that require collaboration and that needs at least two partners that offer complimentary expertise and facilities.

“Nutrition, production systems, education and extension are key areas for our attention.

“Interns and finding places for those that want to join the industry and gain experience is vital,” she added.

The first Ideas Exchange held by the recently established PHA was a great success. All topics covered were highly relevant to the poultry industry of today and how it will be in the future.

PRODUCT NEWS

Clean, easy to use rice hulls from Fellows Fellows Rice Hulls, part of Fellows Bulk Transport, is a family owned business run by Paul and Jenny Fellows and has been operating from its base in Deniliquin since 1997.

The company, which has grown from a single vehicle to a fleet of thirteen trucks has been involved in rice hull supply for many years.

“We offer efficient, cost effective supply of bulk rice hulls with large supply contracts and storage to guarantee on-going supply,” said Paul Fellows.

“Rice Hulls are clean and easy to use, not only when it comes to placing into sheds but it also makes cleanouts quicker and easier.

“Another bonus is that used litter with a rice hull base is easier to spread and sell as a fertiliser.

“Rice hulls are not contaminated which is a possibility when using sawdust or shavings. They are dry and free of sticks and splinters which can cause contamination in breast meat.

“We take safety seriously,” said Paul.

“We are proud to have been Trucksafe accredited for more than 15 consecutive years and to have been presented with The John Kelly Memorial Award in 2016.

“Our modern plant consists of large capacity walking floors and bulk b-double to maximise payloads and reduce transport costs per cubic metre.

“Our contemporary Kenworth, Western Star and Volvo prime movers are reliable and are some of the best presented on Australian highways.

“The rice crop was very small around 2010 because of the one in a hundred year drought.

“However, rice production is looking to be at its highest level for a number of years with dams in the catchments full and supply of hull looking firm for the future.

“It’s a great time to switch over from dwindling sawdust and shaving supplies and lock into long term rice hull supply from Fellows,” said Paul.

Aviagen Management Essentials Judy Robberts Technical Service Manager, ANZ Judy graduated in animal and poultry science and has 11 years of experience with breeder and broiler production. Her most recent responsibility has been as a technical advisor for a poultry distributor company servicing Ross parents stock customers.

“To achieve good performance, flocks must be uniform. Feeding is a key area of focus. Regular crop-fill assessments during the growing period can determine if feeding practices require improvement or not” said Judy.

Crop Fill Scoring During the Growing Period Objective To assess variability of feed intake of individual birds to determine if improvements need to be made feeding practices.

Key Points • • • • • • • • • • • •

Perform crop fill assessment within 2 hours after feeding.

Check crop fill once every two weeks.

Sample birds from 2 random locations within each pen population.

A 5% sample in each pen population should be assessed i.e. A 5% sample of a pen with 1,500 birds is 75 birds.

Assess crop fill of individual birds (Figure 1).

Birds with no feed present are scored as zero.

Record the results as you assess each bird.

Calcuate the percentage of birds without any feed present.

The same person should score all birds to ensure consistency of measurement and better assess variation.

If using a rear and move program, 2 to 3 days after transfer to the production house, assess crop fill of males and females. Transfer is a critical time of the flock; any issues must be identified early.

If poor crop fill results are obtained at any stage (Figure 2), investigate immediately to prevent effects on bird uniformity.

At minimum, observe feeding the following day to identify any possible causes.

Possible Causes of Variable Crop-fill After Feeding: • • • • • • • • •

Insufficient or excessive feed space / bird (see Parent Stock Handbook p 24-48).

Uneven feed distribution within the feeding system or feeding area (for floor feeding systems).

Slow feed distribution within the house / pen.

Inadequate lighting preventing good bird distribution during feeding.

Feeders spaced too closely together.

Obstructions within the house.

Overly excited or distracted birds immediately prior to feeding.

Feed quality issues (variable feed form, poor quality raw materials or toxicity issues).

Disease e.g. coccidiosis.

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Aviagen and the Aviagen logo are registered trademarks of Aviagen in the US and other countries.

All other trademarks or brands are registered by their respective owners. © 2017 Aviagen.

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PRODUCT NEWS

French Spoutnic robot for poultry farming Tibot is a pioneering technology company in the development of robotics for the poultry industry based in Rennes, France.

According to company provided information, “Tibot’s goal is to automate certain tedious, repetitive tasks, so as to improve the poultry farmer’s working conditions while increasing his flock’s profitability and his bird’s welfare.

“Spoutnic is the result of two years of joint research between engineers and poultry farmers, supported by animal behavior specialists,” the company stated.

Floor egg losses amount to thousands of Euros.

“For broilers the flock’s inertia negatively affects the ADG/CI ratio.

“Until the development of the Spoutnic, preventing these problems meant that the breeder had no choice but to devote a substantial part of their time to moving the flock around.

“This is a tedious task that compro-

mises not only the farm’s profitability but also farmer health.

“Now the Spoutnic animation robot offers an alternative.

“As it circulates through the henhouse in random patterns, Spoutnic forces the hens to move and trains them to lay eggs in the nesting box.

“By lowering the number of floor eggs, Spoutnic automatically helps to reduce the exhausting work of picking up down-graded eggs.

“In the case of broiler farms, regular movements of the flock fosters natural activity and weight gain.

As they move more, chickens are healthier, thus requiring fewer treatments with antibiotics.

“Spoutnic facilitates the poultry farmer’s daily work and contributes to the attainment of flock profitability objectives,” its makers claim.

The manufacturer describes Spoutnic as ‘an autonomous robot helper helping to manage flock movement 24/7

and training hens to go to the nest’.

The device is ‘plug and play’ with no installation or specific configuration necessary.

Poultry Digest obtained this information from Yanne Courcoux, CEO of Tibot. Email: ycourcoux@tibot.fr More on the web at www.tibot.fr

FELLOWS RICE HULLS

Clean, easy to use rice hulls We supply efficient, cost effective bulk rice hulls We have large supply contracts and storage to guarantee on-going supply.

Rice hulls are clean, easy to use, not only in placing into sheds but also making cleanouts quicker and easier.

Used litter with a rice hull base is easier to spread and sell as a fertiliser.

Dry and free of sticks and splinters which can cause contamination in breast meat.

We offer large capacity walking floor trailers to maximise payloads and reduce transport costs per cubic metre.

Contact: Paul Fellows, Fellows Bulk Transport Ph: 03 5881 6668 Fax: 03 5881 65550 Visit www.fellowsbulk.com.au

36

PRODUCT NEWS

New technology and expanded product range Engineers at ebm-papst have been working to improve the efficiency and range of fans available.

Now they are ready to announce the launch of a new range of products, the AxiBlade, and increased product range of fan sizes for both the HyBlade and AxiCool series.

These latest arrivals have been developed to fill the gaps in the product ranges and increase the level of protection and efficiency across the board.

AxiBlade was developed in response to customer requests for lower noise emissions and improved energy efficiency.

The modular design makes it a versatile solution for evaporators, condensers, and heat exchangers in ventilation, refrigeration and air conditioning systems, according to the company.

“AxiBlade fans are very flexible in the levels of efficiency and noise achieved under multiple conditions.

“The first Australian application of the AxiBlade fan demonstrated outstanding results, with the AC AxiBlade

responsible for energy savings of 43% compared to the original condenser fans,” said the company.

“The HyBlade fan blades and impellers set market standards in terms of aerodynamics and aeroacoustics with optimised blade geometries.

Now the HyBlade series is complete, with a full range of fan sizes from 200mm to 990mm available.

Features include minimal noise level thanks to HyBlade technology and optimised peripherals, increased IP protection to IP55, high power density and compact design and 200mm to 450mm fan sizes available with GreenTech EC motors, with both 2-speed & analogue 0-10V interface.

The AxiCool series is designed to withstand the formation and forceful removal of ice by tools and steam jet cleaners. The energy-efficient range is used for evaporators and air coolers used in commercial and industrial cooling sectors.

Go to enmpapst.com.au for more information and a copy of the paper.

Top: Axicool series covers the full range of fan sizes. Above: The AxiBlade has lower noise levels.

Australian Made Poultry Winches

Certified to Australian Standards AS/NZS1418 Crane, Hoist & Winches

• Built-in easy-to-set limit switches • Robust direct drive gear box • Cable Winch rated to 800kg & 1200kg direct lift • Belt Winch rated to 400 kg direct lift

1800 GRIFCO grifco.com.au poultry@chamberlainanz.com

37

PRODUCT NEWS

Smoked Eggs unveiled at Ideas Exchange Julie Kos, who with her husband Paul, runs Kossies Free Range Eggs, located near Bendigo, recently launched their “Australia Smoked Eggs’ product.

“Our worldwide patented method of smoking eggs is taking Australia by storm,” Julie told the Ideas Exchange audience.

“Our smoked eggs use an advanced smoking technique that stops the aging process and verification of final testing indicates no salmonella bacteria and the eggs are as fresh as the day they were laid, even after 5 weeks.

“Our eggs are now available as whole egg in shell, packaged egg whites, packaged egg yolk and packaged liquid eggs.

“We are 100% Australian owned and operated and our fresh eggs are true free range from our farm in Victoria,” Julie emphasised.

The smoking process, based on a hickory treatment, effectively pasturises the eggs which in the case of the shell eggs Poultry Digest sampled, imparts a

very subtle smoky aroma.

“It’s like normal shell eggs cooked over a campfire,” said Jessie Upson whose elegant hand we used in photos as we cooked the smoked egg in butter.

Julie wants to make the point that apart from the smoking process the egg is just the same as a normal raw egg and can be used in just the same way.

However our ever inventive food and restaurant sector, as well as consumers will soon find ways to use

this product to enhance traditional egg based dishes.

There are plenty of recipe ideas on their website – smokedeggs.com There are a growing list of stockists also on their web pages as production is increased to meet demand.

Poultry Digest visited Kossies Free Range Eggs back in 2015 and they were having great success with their pullet eggs which they marketed as ‘Bubba Eggs’. “The kids love ‘em,” Julie said

Project4:Layout 1 21/03/14 12:22 PM Page 1

MANURE SPREADERS

SPREADER SIZES: 6-40 TONNES • HEAVY DUTY DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION • IDEAL FOR ALL TYPES OF MANURE & COMPOST • WILL ALSO SPREAD LIME & GYPSUM • EMPTY LESS THAN 4 MINS • AN EVEN SPREAD WIDTH UP TO 24 METRES

AXON

Mobile.......0428 637 717 Phone.....(02) 9974 2704 Fax..........(02) 9974 2705

www.axonmachinery.com.au

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If you wish to be included in the Poultry Industry Yearbook 2018, please send you personnel details to primarymedia@bigpond.com If you wish to advertise please contact Peter Bedwell on 0419 235 288 or Rosemary Embery on 0409 944 472 or 02 9797 2406 or email: primarymedia@bigpond.com To see a copy go to: www.primarymedia.com.au and then latest issues.

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