Page 10 - Demo

Page 10 %u2013 National Poultry Newspaper, December 2024 www.poultrynews.com.auCONTINUING on from last month%u2019s indepth review of Australia%u2019s meat chicken industry, here is part two of Poultry Hub Australia%u2019s article.Meat chicken industry locationsMajor centres of chicken meat production have developed adjacent to the major capital cities, though the industry is becoming more regionalised as those areas become increasingly urbanised. Poultry processing plants, together with all the other component activities in areas in an integrated operation, have developed in proximity to markets and a ready source of labour. Many of the largest operations are established in, or within a 50km radius of capital cities. The obvious advantages are in distribution costs associated with transport of the end product, labour availability and services.Together with the siting and location of poultry processing plants is the siting and location of chicken grow-out farms. Processing companies, either totally integrated or independent processors, prefer the meat chicken growing farms that supply them to be located relatively close to the processing plant %u2013 preferably within about a 100km radius or two hours travel time of the plant. As with any farming operation, certain factors are desirable, if not essential, including:%u2022 Proximity to a feed mill%u2022 Guaranteed supply of electric power%u2022 Guaranteed water supply%u2022 Accessibility to heavy transport, realising the need for access for both fully laden feed trucks and live poultry haulage vehicles%u2022 Availability of a source of labour, depending on farm size%u2022 Availability of other services such as tradesmen, servicemen and veterinarians.Major areas of meat chicken growing are:%u2022 Outskirts of the Sydney metropolitan area, Mangrove Mountain Central Coast, Newcastle, Tamworth and Griffith areas of NSW%u2022 Redland Bay south of Brisbane and other areas to the south, southwest and north of Brisbane in Queensland%u2022 Mornington Peninsula east of Melbourne and Geelong and Bendigo areas in Victoria%u2022 Outskirts of Adelaide and the Two Wells area in South Australia%u2022 Outer metropolitan areas of Perth.Smaller pockets of chicken meat production are found in the northeast corner of NSW surrounding Byron Bay, Mareeba in Queensland and Tasmania.Growing meat chickensThere have been tremendous improvements in the genetic potential and nutrition of meat chickens over the past 50 years. Meat chickens today can reach a weight of approximately 2.2kg in 35 days while consuming only 3.3kg of feed. Genetic selection is still leading to improvements in performance and the time it takes to reach market weight is gradually becoming shorter.In Australia, meat chickens are farmed in large open poultry houses called %u2018sheds%u2019, %u2018houses%u2019 or %u2018units%u2019. Shed sizes vary but a typical new shed would be 150m long and 15m wide, holding about 40,000 chickens. The largest sheds can contain up to 60,000 meat chickens.There may be between three and 10 sheds on one farm. Typical new farms house approximately 320,000 chickens.Feed and clean water are available to the chickens 24 hours a day, though some operators make the feed available at a number of discrete %u2018meal times%u2019 each day.The chickens have adequate lighting to see by and to find feed and water, with some periods of darkness each day to allow them to rest and to avoid panic in the event of a blackout. The lighting provided is usually dimmer than natural lighting, as dimmer lighting tends to promote calmness in flocks of meat chickens.Regular checks are made of the shed temperature, humidity and air quality and each parameter is adjusted according to requirements. In many sheds, these factors are monitored automatically and adjusted by computer controllers.All mechanically operated sheds have backup electricity and alarm systems that alert if there is a problem with the functioning of the shed or supply of inputs to it.The flocks are also checked regularly %u2013 usually daily %u2013 to monitor health and progress, to remove any dead birds and to cull any sick or injured ones.Feeders and drinkers are regularly checked to ensure that they are working and to correct any spillages. Careful management of ventilation and drinkers helps to maintain the litter in a clean, dry and friable (easily crumbled) condition. Poor litter management will impact on air quality and can lead to reduced bird health and performance, as well as carcass downgrading at the processing plant.Over the life of the broiler flock, only about 4 percent of chickens are lost and these are through natural causes or culling.Why do chickens grow to market weight so quickly?About 50-60 percent of the improvement in growth rates since the start of intensive poultry farming is due to improved breeds of chickens. This genetic gain, which has been achieved through conventional selective breeding, is due to:%u2022 Investment in advanced breeding programs by the large well-resourced specialist breeding companies overseas%u2022 The number of generations that can be produced in a relatively short period of time %u2013 chickens reach sexual maturity at about 20-25 weeks of age, then take only three weeks to start producing the next generation, and each hen can produce up to 150 progeny within a year of its own hatching.A further 20-25 percent of the improvement in growth is due to improved nutrition. For current meat chicken breeds, the requirement of nutrients such as energy, protein, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals at each stage of its growth has been studied precisely. For each feed ingredient, the levels of these nutrients digestible by the chicken has also been established. With this information, feed can be formulated to match the chicken%u2019s precise nutritional requirements throughout its life cycle without excesses, thereby optimising growth and feed efficiency. Other gains made in meat chicken growth and performance are due to better husbandry techniques and health management.Litter quality in meat chicken houseWet litter is a worldwide problem (including Australia) for fastgrowing meat chickens in a deep litter system. It is important to maintain the litter in a dry and friable condition in meat chicken houses.Wet litter increases Australia%u2019s meat chicken industry %u2013 Part 2Poultry processing plants have developed in proximity to markets and a ready source of labour. Photo: ACMFIt is important to maintain the litter in a dry and friable condition in meat chicken houses.Rodenticide solutions for every situation...Distributed bywww.ccdanimalhealth.com.auFor more information, visit pest-control.basf.com.auor contact CCD Animal Health on 1300 791 009 ccdsales@ccdanimalhealth.com.auALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS.%u00a9 Copyright BASF 2023 %u00ae Registered trademark of BASF. 213735 04.2023%ufffd Selontra%u00ae Soft Bait will deliver outstanding control even under high pest pressure while protecting non-target animals wherever they might be at risk.%ufffd Storm%u00ae Secure remains as cost-effective, durable and dependable as ever and Storm%u00ae Soft Bait offers the same potency with a new level of palatability.Storm Soft BaitThere have been tremendous improvements in the genetic potential and nutrition of meat chickens over the past 50 years.* continued P11