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Know How / Broilers / Housing and handling

Poultry farms rely a great deal on the technology they employ to manage a large number of birds with relatively little resource. Understanding the latest developments in housing and how they interact with bird management is therefore crucial

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POULTRY

Regen poultry: What scope is there to grow production?

Poultry is often cast as the supervillain in debates around sustainable farming – not least when it comes to whether poultry manure is a benefit or a threat to water…

BROILERS

How poultry unit manages heat stress with misting systems

High-pressure water misting systems are playing a key role in preventing heat stress and performance dips in hot weather at one Derbyshire broiler business. The Adsetts family installed their first…

BROILERS

What's in Your Poultry Shed? visits a closed Dutch system

Marcel Kuijpers, his brother and two nephews, farm a huge state-of-the-art poultry unit in the Netherlands. The ultimate goal of the business, Kuijpers Kip, is to create a fully closed…

POULTRY

How a borehole is saving free-range egg producer £5,000/year

Installing a borehole to draw a private water supply is resulting in cost savings of about £5,000/year for a Pembrokeshire free-range egg business. Lyn and Carol Jenkins diversified from dairy…

BROILERS

From start-up to sector leader – one broiler grower's story

Research, expert advice and attention to detail have helped one first-time broiler grower achieve some of the highest performance figures in the wholesale sector. David Hewitson's journey into broiler production…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Dutch poultry shed designed for efficiency

A Dutch poultry farmer has incorporated the latest technology when building a new shed housing more than 90,000 birds. Jake Davies visited to find out more. Faced with an investment…

Practical advice

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POULTRY

The benefits and uses of lucerne in poultry production

Lucerne is becoming more commonplace in UK poultry systems because of the benefits the crop provides to the welfare and productivity of flocks. Lucerne bales provide hens with important foraging…

POULTRY

7 ways to manage poultry litter for optimum performance

Poultry are in continuous contact with litter, so it is no surprise that when conditions are poor, birds will not perform to their genetic potential. Sara Perez, veterinary director at…

BROILERS

4-point control plan for managing heat stress in poultry

Climate change is driving increasing weather extremes, which has made heat stress more topical for UK poultry producers. “Last year, some broiler operations lost up to 30% of their flock…

POULTRY

New poultry units - planning and environmental permissions

Applicants seeking planning consents and environmental permits for poultry housing must meet increasingly tough pollution prevention regulations and high upfront costs for environmental mitigation measures. Some regions with an already…

BROILERS

Poultry manure management tactics to protect soils and water

Broiler processor Avara recently announced that its suppliers must comply with tighter soil nutrient and manure management rules before spreading poultry manure. The firm’s move was made in January following…

POULTRY

13 things every poultry farmer can do to save energy

Even the most efficient poultry unit can tighten up on energy-saving protocols by conducting a simple audit, with quick wins possible in most cases. Straightforward, low-cost measures include sealing gaps…

Insights

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POULTRY

8 new products to enhance layer and broiler performance

Margins are under pressure like never before in the poultry sector, which faces high input costs and static prices, and some businesses are operating at a loss. Could it be…

POULTRY

The poultry industry's response to total cage ban proposals

A strong industry response to a vocal home-grown animal welfare lobby has already propelled the UK to the forefront of the global move away from cage systems. Despite that, pressure…

POULTRY

Why the industry is fighting Defra's poultry transport plans

Parts of the broiler industry could be severely threatened unless the government adopts a more commonsense approach to Defra’s Improvements to Animal Welfare in Transport consultation, according to the NFU.…

POULTRY

A guide to improving poultry shed insulation

Good insulation will keep poultry housing at an even temperature throughout the seasons, reducing heating and ventilation costs. However, older types of insulation may be less efficient due to outdated…

LAYERS

A poultrykeeper's guide to ground-source heat pumps

With farm carbon emissions under the spotlight and an increasing emphasis on sustainable agriculture, many producers are moving away from fossil fuels. Ground-source heat pumps offer a good solution for…

POULTRY

Is now the right time to go into poultry farming?

Consumer demand for eggs and poultrymeat have risen steadily over the past 10 years. Buoyant markets have already prompted hundreds of farmers to diversify into broiler and free-range egg production…

BROILERS

Faster broiler growth rates from poultry litter burning

The way a broiler shed is heated can have a significant bearing on the performance of the flock. Indirect heating of broiler sheds using biomass such as poultry litter as…

PLANNING PERMISSION

Opposition and errors hamper poultry planning applications

Poultry farmers are finding it harder than ever to get planning applications for new buildings through the system. Local authorities are making too many mistakes in the planning process and…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Wireless system aims to improve bird performance

An award-winning wireless sensor system to monitor environmental conditions in broiler sheds has been developed by researchers at University College Dublin to help find optimum conditions for bird growth. “It…