The broiler of 2017 is much advanced from the bird of 30 years ago, but will the bird of the future follow this trend of genetic advancement. What could change in the next eight years?
According to Dr. Patricio Liberona, director of veterinary services for South America’s Southern Cone for Hubbard, the broiler of the future will be more efficient, heavier, with better feed conversion and yielding more, higher quality meat. But this doesn’t mean the genetic focus will only be about developing bigger birds that grow faster. Liberona spoke on September 29, 2017, as part of the 25th Latin American Poultry Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Changes in the market are already demanding bird that is slow growing, organic, ecological or raised on pasture. Liberona said the market is already paying more for this kind of chicken and this trend will only get stronger by 2025.
With both perspectives in mind, Liberona gave details of what, in his judgement, the broiler of the future will look like.
The outlook for the conventional market
In the conventional market, Liberona said the bird will continue to evolve as technology advances, but only as far as the animal’s genetics permit.
Showing graphics detailing the evolution of the bird up to 2016, he projected that the broiler will continue growing by about 40 grams to 50 grams by generation, in continuation of what’s happened up until this point.
“How long will weight keep growing? And at what cost? The quality of the meat already has some problems,” Liberona said. “We are going to have to wait and see what will happen in 2025 or develop programs that help to diminish risks.”
In the future, broilers will be more efficient in terms of feed conversion. As of 2016, the genetic improvement in feed conversion is about 1.7 points per year.
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