Aviagen customers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia listened to guest speaker David Speller from Applied Poultry, an independent broiler grower and Ross 400 Club member from the United Kingdom, during a broiler seminar. The Ross 400 Club celebrates exceptional broiler performance, and Speller was on hand to talk about the reasons behind his success. Ross is a brand of broiler offered by poultry producer Aviagen.
Eighty broiler growers from the Czech and Slovak Republic attended the seminar held in Lednice, a small city in South Moravia, the Czech Republic. The focus was on the performance of the Ross broiler and on sharing information and advice on how to achieve the 400 European Production Efficiency Factor.
"European Production Efficiency Factor is the equation used to measure the technical performance of a flock and takes into consideration the feed conversion ratio, livability, live weight and age of the bird. It is very difficult to achieve a score of 400 as there are many factors that contribute to the success of a flock," said Neil Clark, regional technical manager at Aviagen.
"As a 400 Club member, David is in a very exclusive group of broiler growers. It was great for our customers in the region to hear from someone who has had so much success in his operation, effectively sharing information across regions and borders," he continued.
David Speller added, "At Applied Poultry, we fully recognize that the key to a successful broiler business is to maximize all the potentials available. This for us means good genetic potential, good quality chicks, good feed, water and environment along with good management and facilities. If any one of these elements is deficient, the whole business model is challenged."
Milan Stastny, owner of Susarna Pohorelice Co., who was in the audience, said, "Our flocks can very often achieve an European Production Efficiency Factor of over 300, but now we could see that to reach 400 is also possible with a lot of effort and attention to detail. Such events, where we can get experience from different countries, are very valuable for us."
Speller's presentation was followed by discussion. Other topical subjects featured on the agenda were veterinary and nutritional presentations, designed to give attendees practical advice on all aspects of broiler growing.
