By Hans van Sleeuwen - Area Manager Europe
Achieving 500 eggs in 100 weeks is for us an eggcellent reason to celebrate, especially when it is the very first flock of laying hens managed by this egg producer. Enough reasons for us to bring a visit to the Bronsema family, located in the German rural district of Cuxhaven.
Together with the team of ab ovo (the distributor of Hendrix Genetics breeds in Germany) we were invited by the Bronsema family (consisting of Hauke, Bente, their 2 daughters and 1 baby on its way) for a tour and a BBQ on their farm. Next to the farm workers and their families, also their friends from the local egg industry were invited to join this festivity, think of their feed supplier, the team of poultry veterinarians, the representatives of farm cleaning and biosecurity services and their neighboring egg producers. As such accomplishment does not go unnoticed, also the local newspaper, and the German poultry press were present. The Bronsema family bought the farm a few years ago.
When they bought the farm there was an older broiler house on the site, which they have converted into an aviary barn combined with wintergarden and a free-range. Bente is managing the free-range layer farm together with two employees, while her husband, Hauke, is the managing director of a regional cooperative. Both Hauke and Bente have studied agricultural engineering.
From left to right: Frits Röhrs - ab ovo, Hans van Sleeuwen - Hendrix Genetics, Lars Raterink - ab ovo and the Bronsema family
The farm holds the capacity for 14,999 laying hens, the barn measures 15 x 70 m inside, and it is adjoined on 1 side by a winter garden of 8 meters deep. On the opposite outside wall of the barn, the supply air flaps were moved from the bottom to the top, and three additional ventilators were installed to improve the interior climate for the hens. The barn consists of three rows of aviaries, all with an internal egg belt. An additional water line has been installed in the lower level of the aviaries, this to stimulate the use of this lower level. Oval shaped perches have been installed as these will allow the hens to have better grip and are better able to relax.
A second broiler house, right next to the converted house, accommodates the egg collection and egg sorting room. It also hosts the climate-controlled egg storage room, and technical and sanitary rooms. During the tour it became clear that strict hygienic and biosecurity measures have been implemented at all levels of the farm.
This very first flock, consisting of 14.999 Dekalb Whites laying hens coming from distributor ab ovo, had a great start. The Dekalb Whites are characterized by their Premium Performance: high egg laying persistency, great egg quality towards the end and overall outstanding livability (graph 1). We have asked the Bronsema family about their secret, how is it possible to get these premium results with so little experience in keeping laying hens?
Next to having excellent biosecurity in place, great genetics, and good quality pullets, it is all about having a great team and having and maintaining the full overview of the flock. Accurate data, and daily data collection is key when you are managing a flock. But never forget to also listen to your flock and observe the flock. Daily flock inspections are an absolute must. Not only inside the barn, but also outside in the range. It is also important to ask advices from the feed companies, the hatchery, the egg packing station and the poultry veterinarians. And it is good to consult them prior to the arrival of the new flock.
As a result of these consultations, the Bronsema family decided to apply split feeding. The hens are fed according to the split feeding principle, i.e. making use of two different feeds: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning feed makes up about 40% of the total amount and contains more energy and protein than the afternoon feed, while in the afternoon a feed with a higher calcium content is used, as the calcium can be used for the eggshell formation during the night.
Dekalb Whites looking stunning at 100 wks of age
It was planned to deplete the flock the day after the celebration, still allowing us to get a good view of this flock that was already over 100 weeks of age. Despite the warm and hot weather, several birds were foraging in the range, and many were enjoying a nice dust bath in the wintergarden. Overall feather condition was still looking good. Few missing feathers were visible at the back, which occurred during the stress of the lockdown that this flock experienced themselves. The hens had to be kept inside for several months during the winter period to lower the risk of getting Avian Influenza (the
Cuxhaven region lies in the heart of the migratory zone of wild birds in Europe).
Overall premium results that the Bronsema family has been able to achieve with their 1st flock of Free-Range Dekalb White laying hens! Their future Dekalb White flock is currently being reared by ab ovo and is expected to arrive in a few weeks. Allowing sufficient time for proper cleaning and to enjoy the summer.
