Philippines Poultry News Updates:

[mikey]

[12 February 2008] Philippine poultry producers could look forward to a robust 15-20% growth this year, if high production costs, particularly of feed ingredients, can be tempered. In 2007, the industry only grew by 0.63%. United Broiler Raisers Association Chairman Gregorio San Diego said feed raw materials continue to go up and the industry has also to contend with the low purchasing power of Filipino consumers. This has prevented the industry from raising farm prices, which in turn has led to losses for some backyard raisers.
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Philippines lifts ban on imports from Nebraska, Virginia
[11 February 2008] The Philippine Department of Agriculture has lifted the ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from the states of Nebraska and Virginia in the US following evaluations that show the risk of contamination from importing from these states is negligible.The bans were imposed last year because of a report of low pathogenic avian influenza in the two states. The United States exported over USD 25 million worth of poultry and poultry products to the Philippines last year, up about 60% from the 2006. 

[mikey]

[11 February 2008] The Philippine government has confirmed that the country is free of the H5N1 avian flu virus. At least 15,000 blood and rectal swab samples from domestic fowls in Central Luzon were tested by the government’s bird flu laboratory in Pampanga and the results were negative. Meanwhile, tests done at the main Bureau of Animal Industry laboratory in Quezon City also showed negative results. To maintain the country’s bird flu-free status, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap reiterated his directive banning the import of all birds, poultry and its products from Indonesia, one of the countries hardest hit by the disease.

[mikey]

[30 January 2008] Philippine chicken output is projected to grow by 15-20% this year, said United Broilers’ and Raisers Association President Gregorio San Diego, who also said that stable chicken supply and prices will be possible this year “if production stabilizes.” Tight supply of chicken last year prompted a doubling in the amount of breeders imported last year, and the country is now assured of enough broilers. He expressed concerns however that the poultry industry might face a glut in chicken eggs.

[mikey]

Wednesday, April 09, 2008Print This Page
Ditching Pork For Other Meats
PHILIPPINES - Consumers are shifting meat purchases from pork to chicken and goat meat, says Dr. Alice Utlang, a Cebu City veterinarian.



According to the Globalnation-Inquirer, data from the animals slaughtered at the Cebu City abattoir indicate ashift of customers away from pork.

Dr Utlang said that in the first quarter of the year, the number of slaughtered chicken reached 175,711 compared to last year's 52,908.

Wow,thats a great increase in volume,looking good for the poultry sector so far,hope this keeps up.

[mr hog]

I was thinking of starting this chicken farm soon..pork getting expensive go for the birds hehe.Thats another bizniz plane I have.

[mikey]

Bird Flu Crosses Species Barrier to Spread Among Dogs (Update1)

By Jason Gale

April 2 (Bloomberg) -- A bird flu virus that killed dogs in South Korea can spread from one dog to another, showing that the disease is capable of crossing species and causing widespread sickness in mammals, a study found.

A cocker spaniel and a miniature schnauzer were among dozens of dogs in South Korea sickened by an H3N2 strain from birds, researchers said in a study published in the May issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. Viruses taken from the sick canines were used in an experiment later to see if pathogens were capable of spreading from dog to dog.

The findings add to scientific understanding of how flu viruses evolve in animals and the risks they pose to humans. A separate bird flu strain called H5N1 has killed 236 people worldwide by spreading primarily from birds to humans. If a deadly H5N1 strain evolved like the strain in today's study to spread from one human to another, it could kill millions.

``Transmission of avian influenza A virus to a new mammalian species is of great concern because it potentially allows the virus to adapt to a new mammalian host, cross new species barriers, and acquire pandemic potential,'' the Korean researchers said.

The study, led by Daesub Song, Bokyu Kang and Chulseung Lee of the Green Cross Veterinary Products Co. and Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. at Yong-in, outside Seoul, followed cases of severe respiratory disease last year in dogs at three veterinary clinics in Kyunggi province.

Close Resemblance

Tests on specimens collected from three of the dogs showed they were infected with H3N2 viruses closely resembling those found in chickens and doves in South Korea in 2003. The pathogens may have been transmitted from birds to dogs fed raw, minced meat from infected ducks and chickens, the authors said.

``In South Korea, untreated duck and chicken meats, including internal organs and heads, have been widely used to feed dogs for fattening in local canine farms or kennels,'' they said.

Dog is regarded by some Koreans as a delicacy. Seoul city officials will ask the national government to include the animal in the legal definition of livestock, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported last week.

A variant of the H3N2 virus causes seasonal flu in humans. A canine strain was linked to an outbreak among 13 dogs at an animal hospital and later reported at a kennel in Jeolla province, where as many as 52 canines were infected, most likely as the virus spread from dog to dog, the Korean researchers said.

Seal, Dogs

Avian flu viruses are known to transmit to unrelated mammalian species only rarely, the researchers said. Bird- derived H7 and H4 flu viruses were reported in seals in the early 1980s, and the H5N1 bird-flu strain was found in a dog that fed on a duck infected with the virus in Thailand in 2004, according to the study.

Large cats, including tigers and leopards, kept in capacity and fed on infected poultry carcasses, have also been infected and developed severe disease. Almost two of every three human H5N1 cases were fatal, according to the World Health Organization.

``This is an important and interesting study because previous avian-to-mammal influenza infection by H5 or H7 were not efficient in subsequent human-to-human or cat-to-cat transmission, whereas this study shows an outbreak of 13 dogs in addition to sporadic cases,'' said Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiology professor at the University of Hong Kong.

Not Unexpected

``Efficient mammal-to-mammal transmission'' of H3N2 viruses isn't unexpected since variations of the strain regularly infect humans and pigs, Yuen said in an interview today.

Dogs may be more susceptible to flu strains carried by birds because both canines and birds share a type of virus- binding site in their respiratory systems that is less common in humans.

The bird-like H3N2 virus may be capable of spreading between dogs because it was excreted in nasal discharges and caused sneezing of experimentally infected beagle puppies, the study found. The virus wasn't active in their feces.

Evidence of avian flu in pet dogs ``raises the concern that dogs may be become a new source of transmission of novel influenza viruses, especially where avian influenza viruses are circulating or have been detected,'' the authors said.

[mikey]

Avian influenza(aka bird flu, avian flu) is caused by a type of influenza virus that is hosted by birds, but may infect several species of mammals. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and is now known to exist worldwide. A strain of the H5N1-type of avian influenza virus that emerged in 1997 has been identified as the most likely source of a future influenza pandemic.
Strains of avian influenza virus may infect various types of animals, including birds, pigs, horses, seals, whales and humans. However, wild fowl act as natural asymptomatic carriers, spreading it to more susceptible domestic stocks. Avian influenza virus spreads in the air and in manure and there is no evidence that the virus can survive in well cooked meat.
 

Diagnosis How to Recognise Avian Influenza

What to look for
Ruffled feathers
Soft-shelled eggs
Depression and droopiness
Sudden drop in egg production
Loss of appetite
Cyanosis (purplish-blue coloring) of wattles and comb
Edema and swelling of head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
Green diarrhoea
Blood-tinged discharge from nostrils
Incoordination, including loss of ability to walk and stand
Pin-point hemorrhages (most easily seen on the feet and shanks)
Respiratory distress
Increased death losses in a flock
Sudden death
Nasal discharges
For more detail in avian influenza in poultry click here
 

Poultry Vaccination as a strategy for controlling AI in commercial birds Outbreaks of avian influenza in the poultry industry cause devastating economic losses and is generally controlled through extensive culling of infected birds. Alternative strategies also use vaccination as a supplementary control measure during avian influenza outbreaks.
Advantages of Vaccination
Vaccination reduces susceptibility to infection.
A higher dose of virus is necessary to infect the vaccinated birds.
Vaccinated birds shed less virus.
- Decreased contamination of the environment.
- Decreased risk of human infection
Used strategically vaccination compliments a stamping out strategy by slowing/stopping the spread of the virus
For more information on poultry vaccination see:
www.avian-influenza.com
Vaccination as Part of an Avian Influenza Control Strategy
The use of vaccination as an option for the control of avian influenza (pdf)
 

BiosecurityAvian Influenza (Fowl Plague) is a potentially devastating disease, predominantly of chickens and turkeys, although the virus can also affect game birds (pheasants, partridge and quail), ratites (ostrich and emu), psittacine and passerine birds.
Avian Influenza is caused by an orthomyxovirus, or influenza virus and can survive for considerable lengths of time outside of the host and birds are infected through contact with other birds, mechanical vectors such as vehicles and equipment and personnel travelling between farms, markets and abattoirs.
Precautionary requirements include cleaning and disinfection of premises and the establishment of a Biosecurity barrier to help prevent spread of disease is essential.

 

[mikey]

DA bans birds, poultry from Saudi Arabia, Poland & Benin     
Friday, 11 January 2008 
Press Release

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has slapped a temporary ban on all imports of domestic and wild birds, along with poultry and its products from Saudi Arabia, Poland and Benin following official confirmation by animal health authorities of the outbreak of the avian influenza (AI) or bird flu virus in these states.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the temporary ban and other emergency measures were necessary to protect human health and the P60 billion poultry industry in the Philippines, which has remained free of bird flu ever since the H5N1 strain of this virus first resurfaced in Asia in 2003.

Yap said the ban covers all “domestic and wild birds and their products, including day-old chicks, eggs and semen.”

He directed quarantine officers and inspectors of the Department at all major airports and seaports to stop and confiscate all shipments of live birds, poultry and poultry products into the country originating from Saudi Arabia, Benin and Poland.

In his directive, Yap also ordered the immediate suspension of the issuance of Veterinary Quarantine Clearances (VQCs) to all imports covering these products from Benin, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, the DA had also imposed a ban on all live bird and poultry imports from Korea, the United Kingdom and Japan after the presence of the bird flu virus was also detected in these countries.

The ban on imports from Japan was lifted last May following an evaluation by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) that the risk of AI contamination from bird and poultry products originating from that country was negligible.

Yap said the presence of the dreaded AI virus had been detected in the farms of Ar-Kharj, Al-Muzahmiyah and Dhuma in Ar-Riyad, Saudi Arabia; in the villages of Mysliborzyce and Uniejow in Poland; and in the Honvié and 2ëme arrondissement of the western African country of Benin.

Animal health officials from Saudi Arabia, Benin and Poland separately submitted their official reports on the outbreak of bird flu in their respective countries to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or Animal Health Organization during the November-December 2007 period.

The Philippines is one of only three AI-free countries in Southeast Asia. The two others are Brunei and Singapore.

As of second week of January 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 216 out of 348 people found in laboratory-confirmed cases to have been infected with the AI virus have died since the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus resurfaced in Southeast Asia in 2003 and then spread across the rest of the continent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

This cumulative number represents a 62% human mortality rate for this virus.

Last December, Yap ordered the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to step up its implementation of border patrols, quarantine measures and other preventive steps to keep the Philippines AI-free amid the resurgence of the bird flu virus in Asia, particularly Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan.

Yap had directed BAI Director Davinio Catbagan to intensify the implementation of these preventive measures in airports and seaports in the cities of Davao and General Santos owing to their proximity to Indonesia, one of Asia’s bird-flu infected countries.

Last Dec. 13, an AI-infected person died in Banten province in Indonesia, making him the 93rd fatality among 115 victims in that country. There have also been recent reports of AI infections in Myanmar and Pakistan.

Catbagan said the BAI had also improved its control measures to monitor the movement of ducks, which can be carriers of the bird flu, through grazing and by ordering suppliers and growers to secure permits for their transfer/movement.

The BAI has been carrying out strict monitoring and control measures to prevent domestic poultry and ducks to come in contact with migratory birds from the 20 critical areas identified under the Avian Influenza Prevention Program (AIPP), he said.

It has likewise been constantly upgrading and installing new laboratory equipment, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines that are used to accurately and swiftly detect the presence of the AI virus, he added.###
 
 

[mikey]

Getting Started with Sunshine Chicken
By Pinoy Farmer | May 1, 2008





Poultry raised on open grass are high in beneficial fats and other factors that lower cholesterol and greatly reduce degenerative disease in the consumer! Eating large proportions of living green plants, while foraging for insects and seeds and myriad other natural commodities that science hasn’t identified yet, and with minimal need for medication, grass-fed animals create more vibrant health than other poultry. Moreover, the meat and eggs are incredibly tasty compared to general market chicken.

1. Better Food. Substantial increases in nutritional value of pasture poultry, particularly in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin A, and a significant decrease in total fat.

2. More Satisfying Flavor. Poultry raised on pasture, in fresh air and sunshine, taste superior to confinement raised poultry. Naturally raised poultry has a firmer texture and more satisfying “gamey taste”.

3. Lower cost entry. Small-scale and limited resource farmers can start a profitable farm enterprise for a fraction of the cost of conventional, integrator-controlled poultry housing.

4. Fertility and Pasture management. Moving poultry across the pasture is a way to spread manure and fertility without using excessive equipment or labor.

5. Multi-Cropping. Poultry can be used to scavenge crop residue, and hog down weeds and grasses in multi-crop fields being used for horticulture and floriculture.

Getting started with your Sunshine Chicks (first 21days)

ALWAYS KEEP SURROUNDINGS AND PENS DISINFECTED AND CLEAN

Housing of Birds: Secure from predators, i.e., rats, cats, and dogs. Fencing wire may be buried below the surface to prevent any of predators from getting to the birds. You need light, heat, and water. As for temperature, birds (four weeks of age or older) are best suited for 70oF. Important to have shaded areas. Location should be well drained. Lay rice hulls, or ground corn cobs for absorbent flooring. Good choice for bedding materials during the wet season is sand, because it allows for excellent drainage.
Brooding the Birds: By practice, use one (1) watt per bird for heating bulbs. It is better to use several bulbs in smaller wattages, rather than using a100watt bulb when you brood 100 chicks. Temperature should be 70 to 75oF with the temperature at chicks’ level to be 95oF during the first week. The area assigned to these chicks should have some flexibility such that they can move through a range of temperatures (95 to 75oF). Monitor the birds for signs of stress; for instance, if the chicks are scattered around the area and chirping loudly, chances are they are hot; conversely, if you notice the chicks all huddled together in one area, they are likely cold . They should be comfortably scattered, moving around. That is your basis that temperature is right. The temperatures given are just guides. USE YOUR EYES to monitor them. At the end of Week 1, begin dropping the temperature by 5oF per week until you reach 70oF, and then try to maintain that temperature.
Water and Feed: The most neglected and overlooked nutrient is water. What appears to be a bowl of “clean water;” may contain millions of bacteria. The bacteria will stress the digestive system of the bird, such that it will not grow at the rate believed to be their potential. The waterers and feeders should be cleaned routinely (weekly or sooner) with a product like chlorine to reduce the incidence of microbial formation. Fresh water needs to be supplied everyday to insure healthy birds. During the periods of extreme heat, there is an increased risk of microbial growth.

We suggest using probiotics/vitamins in their drinking water, and adlib feeding of chick booster for the 1st 21days, prior to ranging. Medicate only when necessary.

Vaccinations: Day 7 - B1 B1; Day 14 - B1 La Sota

Ranging, Day21 onwards, till slaughter: Segregate by net, compartments for ranging area around their pen. That way, you are able to rotate ranging areas. When you rotate, the manure fertilizes the land and you move to another ranging area so as not to deplete a small section. You may also want to use movable pens, so they have fresh grass everyday and litter will not be a problem.

Let them free range in open air, eating grass, insects, table scraps, or what is abundant in your area. Supplement with corn/pellets/grains for morning and afternoon. Give probiotics everyday in drinking water. We suggest using unmedicated protein concentrate, mixed 50/50 with corn etc.

Basing from growth, you may get the marketable weight at 49-63days, depending on your needs. For best tasting chickens, it is suggested you slaughter at 85-90 days.

AGE (days) WEIGHT (grams) FEEDS (grams/bird/day) FCR

0 35 ADLIB 
7 100 26 adlib 1.13
14 250 28 adlib .95
21 350 37 adlib 1.04
28 445 47 1.26
35 556 62 1.24
42 779 70 1.52
49 1082 83 1.81
56 1240 101 1.95
63 1842 118 2.2

Source: http://www.solraya.blogspot.com

[mikey]

Seal of Excellence Awarded to Magnolia Chicken
PHILIPPINES - Magnolia Chicken was recently awarded the Seal of Excellence by the National Commission for Meat Establishments and Technology (NACOMEAT).


According to the Manila Bulletin, it was the only brand in the Hall of Fame rank that received the prestigious honor this year.

The brand has won in the Best Meat Establishment category more than five times, elevating it to the Hall of Fame in 2003, a result of meeting the standards of the NACOMEAT. "Maintaining our Seal of Excellence feats for years to come would prove that the plants indeed are exemplary and thus, emulated by other plants. Of course, this means reassuring consumers about the quality and safety of Magnolia Chicken products," reports Vic Antonio, VP for Operations.

Year 2007 was a banner period for the country’s outstanding chicken, both in terms of food safety and quality management system. The company embarked on a series of programs that implemented better food safety management and to work on achieving the coveted ISO 22000.

The Magnolia San Fernando plant, which processes the chicken products, has maintained and even surpassed high industry ratings to merit the Seal of Excellence award. In previous years, the distinction was given to the cleanest plant but the award has since evolved to include environmental management and operating permits for local government.

[mikey]

DA Endeavors to Stabilize Meat Supply and Prices
MANILA - The Department of Agriculture (DA) has been taking concrete steps to stabilize the domestic supply and prices of chicken and pork amid the double whammy of escalating production costs and tightening global supplies, according to reports from top DA officials.



DA Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said agriculture officials led by Secretary Arthur Yap have been "continuously in touch" with leaders of the livestock and poultry subsectors to monitor the domestic market situation and work out further intervention measures that might be needed to further boost domestic production and stabilize both supply and prices of these basic foodstuff.

Salacup said that regular and new productivity programs put in place by the various DA-attached agencies concerned on Yap's watch have assured the country—according to industry leaders themselves—of "at least 90% self-sufficiency" in pork and chicken, while importations would cover present or potential supply-demand gaps.

"In all of these endeavors, the DA is continuously in touch with leaders of livestock and poultry groups through partnership arrangements and regular dialogues on the concerns of sectoral leaders or on issues affecting these industries, and have been working with these people to meet the meat, poultry and egg requirements of Filipino consumers," Salacup said.

He said retail prices have inched up "mainly due to increased prices of feed ingredients of which a substantial portion are imported, such as soybean meal, bone meal, fishmeal, calcium and other minerals."

Citing official figures, Salacup said domestic production in the year's first quarter totaled (in live weight) 30,038 metric tons for cattle; 442,695 MT for hogs; and 338,482 MT for chicken.

Last year, he said, total cattle production reached 236,871 MT; hogs, 1,886,005 MT; and chicken, 1,211,623 MT.

Director Carlos Mendoza of the Livestock Development Council reported, meanwhile, that pork imports totaled 79,381 MT last year and another 7,268 MT over the January-March 2008 period while that of chicken totaled 45,075 MT last year and 4,325 MT more in the year's first quarter.

Beef imports totaled 58,334 MT in 2007 and 4,511 MT more in the three months to March 2008, he added, while buffalo imports reached 61,999 MT last year and another 6,394 MT in the past quarter.

Mendoza said that while pork supply is tight, "there is no shortage as increased demand is covered by existing inventory."

"Current efforts by the private sector to re-stock breeder gilts would further normalize pork production towards the end of the year and early next year," he said.

As for chicken supply, Mendoza noted that total production even grew by 4% during the first quarter of 2008.

Yap said that prospects for the hog and poultry industries are bright as the Philippines remain free of the avian influenza (AI) or bird flu, and the continuous disease control and eradication programs of the Bureau of Animal Industry have boosted chances for the whole Philippines to be declared totally free from the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by the Animal Health Organization or OIE by the end of 2008 or early 2009.

Surveillance, vaccination, quarantine and treatment programs to fight cholera, Newcastle, fowl pox and other hog and chicken diseases are also being stepped up by the DA on its own or in partnership with local government units (LGUs), he added.

For cattle, the DA has been undertaking, among others, programs on breeder stock infusion and genetic improvement as well as land tenure and pasture lease negotiations, Salacup said.

Moreover, the DA has a slew of initiatives like the pork-in-a-box project that are meant to provide consumers with greater access to quality but affordable beef, chicken and pork products, he added.

[mikey]

Philippines Confiscate Danish Poultry Shipments
PHILIPPINES - Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) quarantine officers and inspectors at all major airports and sea ports in the country to stop and confiscate all incoming shipment of live birds, poultry and poultry products from Denmark.



The DA press report disclosed that Secretary Yap issued the ban after the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or the Animal Health Organization confirmed that low pathogenic Avian Influenza or bird flu has been directed in a poultry farm in Stenstrup, Svendborg Kommune, Southin Denmark which affected geese, chickens, ducks and mallards.

The Philippines also banned imports of birds and poultry and its products from countries, among others, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Poland and the Western African Country of Benin, to protect human health and the poultry industry in the Philippines.

The Agriculture Secretary also directed BAI Director Davino Catbagan to intensify the implementation of the preventive measures in airports and seaports in the cities of Davao and General Santos owing to their proximity to Indonesia, one of Asia's bird-flu infected countries.

The Philippines, Bruenei and Singapore are the only three Avian Influenza-free countries in Asia, the DA press report disclosed. (PIA)

[mikey]

Tuesday, July 01, 2008Print This Page
'Frank' Report Calls for More Disaster Aid
PHILIPPINES - The total loss on agriculture and fishery in Capiz caused by typhoon Frank has reached more than P657 million, according to a report recently submitted top the Philippine government.



Based on the final report of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) of Capiz, the Frank Report, the total damage on crops, livestock and fishery in the province was posted at P657,292,350.40.

The said report was submitted to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the joint Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) meeting in Iloilo today (1 July).

The total damage on crops reached P405,239,350.40 while the losses on fishery, aquaculture and mariculture was recorded at P184,453,000, the report shows, noting a P67,600,000 damage on livestock.

With the bulk of losses on agriculture and fishery in Capiz and in Western Visayas, the Department of Agriculture (DA) needs a budget much higher than the P600 million it had originally proposed to Malacañang for farm rehabilitation efforts in the 10 storm-battered regions.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said that the total damages to agriculture and fisheries wrought by typhoon "Frank" have already reached P7.029 billion, with the bulk of the losses in Western Visayas.

He said that they are now revising the P609.2-million rehabilitation plan so the DA can extend financial aid to the still increasing number of stakeholders in the fisheries subsector; to those growing palay, corn and high value commercial crops (HVCCs); and to livestock and poultry growers reeling from the latest natural disaster.

Mr Yap was in Capiz on 27 June as part of his two-day inspection in Panay Island, to check the actual agricultural losses and assess the intervention measures needed to help affected farmers and fisherfolk get back on their feet.

He added that the DA executives are also factoring-in the amount needed to repair busted irrigation facilities covering over 50,000 hectares.

[mikey]

Effects of Setting Eggs with Small Ends up on Hatchability and Chick Performance
Eggs are incubated in setter trays for most of the incubation period. Three days before hatch, the eggs are transferred to hatcher baskets, writes Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies.

 

Background
In the setter trays, eggs are placed vertically with the air cell (large end) up, while the eggs lie horizontally during hatching.

In normal development, the embryo begins to turn to its position along the long axis of the egg on day 14. On day 18, the beak is turned to the air cell and covered by the right wing. In this position, the embryo can penetrate the inner cell membrane to gain access to the air in the air cell - after which, breathing starts.

This normal sequence of events is disturbed if the egg is placed with the air cell down and the small end up. In this scenario, the embryo still turns along the long axis of the egg with the head up but now, the head is positioned in the small end of the egg - away from the air cell. The embryo may die because the initiation of normal lung breathing is hampered or even prevented.

Hatchability of eggs placed with small end up is 12-30 per cent lower than in eggs set large end up. However, once hatched from an egg set small end up, the performance of chicks is no different from that of chicks hatched from eggs placed large end up. In the table below is a summary of data collected from commercial hatcheries. Over 3,600 eggs were candled from each flock. The percentage of eggs placed small end up varied between 0.29 and 3.4 per cent, irrespective of the shape of the eggs.


Flock   Large end up  Small end up 
A
 Hatchability (%)
 97.6
 79.5
 
 
 Cull (%)
 0.0
 3.6
 
 
 Grade-A chicks (%)
 97.6
 75.9
 
       
B
 Hatchability (%)
 96.9
 71.8
 
 
 Cull (%)
 3.0
 4.3
 
 
 Grade-A chicks (%)
 93.9
 67.5
 
       
C
 Hatchability (%)
 100.0
 84.0
 
 
 Cull (%)
 2.0
 4.0
 
 
 Grade-A chicks (%)
 98.0
 80.0
 

Reference: Bauer F., S.G. Tullet and H.R. Wilson, 1990. Effects of setting eggs small end up on hatchability and posthatching performance of broilers.

Conclusions
The incidence of eggs set upside-down is largely dictated by human error and not by the shape of the eggs. Great variation between trays in the number of eggs placed upside down was observed: some trays had none, while others had 10-12 eggs placed small end up.

Hatchability of eggs set small end up decreased by between 16.0 and 27.3 per cent. The frequency of non-viable chicks from eggs set small end up is higher but it varies between different batches of eggs. A hatchery loses 0.2 per cent of saleable chicks for each 1 per cent of fertile eggs placed with the small end up in a setter tray (Bauer et al., 1990).


Advice
Check each batch of eggs for the incidence of eggs placed small end up (upside down).

Register the number of eggs placed upside down on Pas Reform's Hatchery Recording Form number 2C. (To receive your free copy of Pas Reform's Hatchery Recording Forms, please complete and return the order form in the Library document Incubation Guide).

If the frequency of eggs placed upside down is unsatisfactory, investigate and remedy the reasons for misplacement of the eggs. If the eggs are routinely set in setter trays at the breeding farm, it is advisable to communicate the benefits (profit) of good placement and place responsibility for ensuring that eggs are place correctly with farm personnel. Breeder farm personnel should all be aware of the fact that the hatchery loses 0.2 per cent of saleable chicks for every 1 per cent of fertile eggs placed small end up in a setter tray.

For further information or advice, please contact the Pas Reform Academy.


May 2008

[mikey]

Thursday, July 31, 2008Print This Page
China Meat Prices Rising Steeply
CHINA - Meat and poultry prices have risen by more than 27% in the last year.



The cost of meat and poultry in June was 27.3% higher than the same month in 2007. Edible oils, grains and vegetables were up by 43%, 8.7% and 8.3%, respectively.

For the first half of the year and after adjusting for inflation, average disposable income in urban areas has risen by 6.3% to 8,065 yuan (CNY) and average personal expenditure by 5.7% to CNY5,490.

The official report continues that the growing and economically powerful middle classes are beginning to be concerned about the trend towards rising food prices.