With an emphasis for the egg industry to switch to cage-free production in the U.S. and Canadian markets, now maybe more than ever, producers need to consider animal welfare to minimize health problems and allow for birds to engage in their natural behaviors.
Protekta, an affiliate of global animal health company Vilofoss, has announced the introduction of the PECKStone, now available for American and Canadian poultry producers.
Vilofoss, has been operating in Europe and the rest of the world for many years, dealing with lots of issues related to poultry enrichment (due to being ahead of the U.S. in cage-free operations) or pathogen control (due to reduced antibiotic usage). Now that these issues are becoming more prevalent in the U.S., producers may find solutions for these issues are more desirable.
PECKStone has been used in the European market for promoting normal pecking behaviors by enriching the environment of cage-free layers and breeders, broilers and pullets, and turkeys.
“The PECKStone offers poultry producers a new tool — specifically designed for them — to help provide an enrichment source for cage-free flocks, to minimize abnormal pecking behavior, and to promote natural beak wear,” said Morten Jakobsen, CEO and founder, Protekta. “Our PECKStones are used throughout Europe, and we see many applications for this new product for producers in the United States and Canada as well.”
Pecking behavior is a common and serious animal welfare and economic problem for poultry producers. With companies like McDonald's continuing its march to only serve cage-free eggs in the U.S. and Canada, accompanied by the impact of Proposition 12, producers will need to find a way to minimize pecking and cannibalism in this environment.
Producers may find enrichments to redirect aggressive pecking behavior and enhances animal welfare by satisfying birds’ naturally strong desire to forage, scratch, and peck.
About the product
This specific product is all natural and organic, and it follows the National Organic Program (NOP) Standards.
PECKStones come in three hardness levels: medium, hard, and extra hard. The hardness used depends on the operation and whether birds have trimmed beaks. Producers can experiment with varying the hardness to determine which works best in their individual operations. The product generally last 4 to 8 weeks.
