Top award in the Cobb500 US Breeder Sold Flock Survey for 2015 has gone to Fieldale Farms, located in Baldwin, Ga., who achieved an average of 178.05 total eggs per hen housed.
Since it began in 1994, the Cobb500 Breeder Sold Flock Survey has steadily grown with the 2015 survey summarizing the performance of more than 2,400 flocks representing 43 million pullets capitalized at 25 weeks of age. The survey covers hatching and total eggs, hen livability, feed consumption, hatchability and chicks/hen, and also provides six regional awards.
Fieldale Farms has won Cobb500 honors for regional performance in the past, and its flock farmers, James and Mary Vandiver, won the top flock award.
Daniel Dorsey, Fieldale breeder/pullet manager, accepted the award, saying, “First of all I want to thank Cobb for its dedication in providing a product with unmatched quality, with which we’re able to be so successful.
“While this award may be an acknowledgement of the success of our pullet/breeder department, it’s truly a reflection of a much broader effort that involves using the best quality feed ingredients, feed formulation, veterinary staff, pullet crew, pullet farm caretakers and a pullet and breeder department with over 266 years of combined service.”
He added, ”But you know who really deserves this award? Our family farmers of course, without them we wouldn’t be here. Their contribution is a direct effect of the success we have achieved and none of this would be possible without them.”
Jeff Steed, Cobb southeast technical manager, said, “Fieldale Farms has been a loyal customer and its success with our product truly makes us successful too.”
The top performing 2015 Cobb500 flock housed at the Vandiver Farm averaged 192.44 total eggs/hen housed with a hatchability of 85.94 percent and 161.70 chicks/hen housed. “This is an incredible accomplishment and some 25 eggs better than the average Cobb500 flock in 2015,” added Steed.
Regional awards went to:
- Claxton Poultry, Glennville, in Southeast region with 176.40 total eggs/hen housed
- Tyson Foods, Wilkesboro, in Mid Atlantic region with 176.25 total eggs/hen housed
- Ozark Mountain Poultry, Batesville, in Central region with 174.94 total eggs/hen housed
- Keith Smith Farms, Hot Springs, in Southwest region with 174.83 total eggs/hen housed
- Pilgrims Pride, Chattanooga, in South region with 173.66 total eggs/hen housed
- Foster Farms, Glenwood, in Mid South region with 171.73 total eggs/hen housed
