Roxell has recently introduced an innovative feeding concept, the Natural Beak Smoothing system, to solve beak treatment which represents a serious problem for poultry farmers.
Beak treatment is a preventive measure to reduce damage caused by injurious pecking, such as feather pecking, vent pecking and cannibalism and thereby improves liveability and uniformity of the flock. For many farmers beak treatment is a necessary procedure, which at a minimum, is relatively laborious and time consuming. The known methods of beak treatment are infrared beak trimming in a hatchery or mechanical hot blade debeaking on a farm.
The biggest concerns relate to mechanical hot blade debeaking, which causes stress with birds and has an impact on their performance early in the production cycle. Making an open wound, where bacteria can enter freely could cause infections, resulting in an increased mortality.
Animal welfare
Furthermore, the welfare of birds increasingly gains importance in the poultry industry resulting in banning any cosmetic treatments, including beak treatment.
The breeder farmer is not only interested in the number of eggs. The total chick output, lay mortality and general bird health become more important.
Animal welfare standards vary significantly from country to country. Concern over the welfare of birds had resulting in the banning of cosmetic treatments in some parts of the world.
Feeding and beak smoothing at the same time? This is now possible
Roxell once more takes the lead and provides a high quality and durable solution for the new market trends and upcoming animal welfare regulations.
At Roxell, they consider important to use nature as a reference to develop new feeding solutions. The animal behaviour and the design of their feeding systems go hand in hand. Therefore the Belgium-based company launched the Natural Beak Smoothing concept, in order to meet the specific market demands and animal welfare regulations.
Roxell has developed a feeding system for broiler breeders with a rough structure to smooth the beak of the birds. The rough structured bottom pan is designed to control the beak growth of broiler breeders while they are fed. This new solution aims to improve bird performance and feed savings and also provides compliance with animal welfare regulations.
Yousef Daoud, product manager at Roxell said: “At Roxell, we believe we should use nature as a reference to develop new feeding solutions, focussing on the animal behaviour and the design of our feeding systems.”
Natural Beak Smoothing performances
- Average feed saving in case of birds with well-shaped beaks vs. birds without any debeaking ±3g/bird/day.
- Less mortality with Natural Beak Smoothing vs infrared beak trimmed birds (one flock on a commercial farm) ± 2 % less mortality.
- More eggs/hen and higher fertility.
- More day-old-chicks/hen.
Smoothing, saving, performing
The system avoids stress on birds, while improving their performances and fertility and complies with the animal welfare regulations. Mortality is reduced by 2 % compared to IR-trimming.
For further information:
ROXELL
Industrielaan 13, 9990 Maldegem (Belgium)
Tel. +32 50 72 91 72 – Fax +32 50 71 67 21
info@roxell.com
