david speller

The Potential From Farming

The Ross 308

Presented by

David Speller Owner Applied Group Companies

2004 @ Lower Farm

• Customer require more bird places

• Customer offers a financial incentive for new

building programme, not a contracted sum

• Improved bird welfare

• Improved bird quality/ uniformity/ consistency

• Improved environmental controls

Customer Driven Investment

Half Way There?

Finished

Current Farming Operations • Own 180,000 bird places

• Rent 115,000 bird places

• Building 335,000 bird places share farming

• Supervise for the bank 160,000 bird places

• 1,700,000 bird places under negotiations

• Potentially farming 2.25m birds on 7.5 batches per farm per year (49 day chick to chick)

• Potential total annual output 17m birds/yr

• All Ross birds for performance and efficiency

To do all that means staff (Currently 30, growing 1 man extra/month)

Important factors for me and my

business

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• Efficiency/ Productivity

• Optimal Welfare Standards

• Good Customer Relations

• Suitable Size/ Scale

• Sound Investment

10

EPEF – 379 (Best 404.29) Aviagen 400 Club

FCR – 1.61 (Best 1.54)

DLWG – 61.41 g/day (Best 66.25)

Average Kill Age – 36.6 Days

Average LW @ Kill – 2.22 Kg (As hatched)

Top performer into our customers factory last 5 years in a row

Performance 3 year averages

Practical Broiler Efficiency • All about EFFICIENCY & maximising genetic

potential of the bird

• Main factor food conversion

• Mortality early on has minimal impact

• Late issues (legs or mortality) big impact

• Every 1g at 7 day = 9g at 28 days

• Technology can be used to optimise genetic

potential

28 D

ay W

eig

ht

7 D

ay w

eig

ht

7 day weight Vs 28 Day weight (Ratio 1:9)

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Production Costs (%)

Improving FCR – Feed Manangement

• Can be as simple as not running out of feed

• Ensure sufficient feed bin space

• Monitor consumption tightly to predict any tight spots

• Record shed feed usage (batch weighers, etc)

• Alarm feed systems to ensure breakdowns minimise starvation periods

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Feed & water monitoring

Cleanout / Disinfection

• We take our time

• All areas cleaned including canteen and toilets

• We use the right products and rotate products

• Orchard sprayer used to improve coverage/ efficacy

• We chemically treat floors for Cocci every time

Brooding / Early Environment

• UFH – warm floors across whole shed

• Indirect heating reduces CO2

• Manage airflows, especially with

indirect heaters that may be on for

longer.

• Humidity is free heat (5% RH = 1oC)

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Underfloor Heating

Biomasss/ RHI

Hot Water Distribution & Air Heating

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CO2 monitoring

Managing 12-22 day period

• Crumb to pellet change over

• Increasing ventilation

• Vaccination

• Feathering up

• Remote cameras help access behaviour

• Good data used as a management tool

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Remote Cameras

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Summary Overview

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Automatic Bird Weighing

Remote Access Via Smart

Phones

Monitor Activity

• Activity levels indicate welfare/ potential performance

• Visual and sound used

• Part of an EU project (Precision Livestock Farming)

• Ensure feeder and drinker facilities can cope (Eyenamics suggest inconsistent demands)

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Eyenamic Cameras

Eyenamic Data Managing Poor Chick Activity

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Aims From Eyenamics •Monitor distribution of birds around the sheds and ensure even access to food, water, etc •Link data to a welfare score/ Prove welfare •Link behaviour trends with performance to ensure consistent good performance •Look for activity trends and adjust food and water access to meet demands •Monitor consistently and in a quantitative way that can be recorded and monitored

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Future data analysis takes a lot

of computer processing

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50.00

52.00

54.00

56.00

58.00

60.00

62.00

64.00

66.00

68.00

Farm - Speller Average

Daily Liveweight Gain

Eyenamics

Introduced

Conclusion

• It is essential to have good genetics to

maximise efficiency potentials

• You also need good facilities, good feed

and water and good management skills

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Thank you for Listening

David Speller

david@appliedgroup.org.uk