Importance of feed withdrawal and the loading process to the poultry industry

Cobb releases progress series report highlighting feed withdrawal program.

Feed withdrawal and loading can have significant impacts on yield and quality. (Cobb-Vantress)
Feed withdrawal and loading can have significant impacts on yield and quality. (Cobb-Vantress)

Chicken processing age and weight vary from country to country, ranging from 4 weeks to 10 weeks and weights anywhere from 4 lbs to 7 lbs. However, to obtain the lowest production cost and highest yield, flock uniformity should factor into the processing schedule. Once birds achieve the processing targets, there are multiple factors that can significantly impact carcass quality, and a key part of producing high-quality products involves implementing a solid feed withdrawal program.

The main objective of feed withdrawal is to reduce the probability of ingesta and/or fecal contamination of the carcass during evisceration. Feed withdrawal also minimizes the waste of undigested feed that may be inside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

The amount and consistency of contents in the GI tract at processing are directly related to feed and water intake prior to withdrawal and the rate at which the GI tract is emptied during feed withdrawal. The rate of GI tract cleansing is impacted by environmental conditions (temperature, lighting programs), water availability and intake, flock health, feed formulation, and flock activity. 

Recommendations for optimal feed withdrawal periods for broilers range from 8 hours to 12 hours to reduce the contamination while optimizing carcass yield. In practice, this time can vary depending on logistics, including broiler houses (type, location and equipment) and holding time at the processing facility. At processing, withdrawal time can be ideal for the first loads and poor for the last, or vice versa. Therefore, the total flock loading time is critical to consider when deciding on times to raise feeder lines for the entire poultry house.

Feed withdrawal periods less than 8 hours have been used successfully by some producers. However, for shorter feed withdrawal periods, special attention should be paid to water intake, as water significantly contributes to digestion and GI tract cleansing. Water should remain available after the feed withdrawal period for 3 hours to 6 hours, depending on the ambient temperature. The biggest field challenge is getting the birds to drink enough water, especially in cooler weather (below 17° C). To stimulate water intake, walk slowly among the birds. Additionally, if possible, warm the house 2° C to 3° C above the desired temperature for short periods of 3 minutes to 4 minutes while observing bird behavior and water intake. This procedure can be repeated multiple times and, when adopted, must be followed with the utmost attention to prevent heat stress and mortality.

Bird weight loss during the period between feed withdrawal and processing is referred to as live shrink or shrinkage. Optimal feed withdrawal time must be long enough to allow adequate GI tract cleansing, but short enough to reduce live shrink as much as possible. Live shrink has significant economic impacts on farm live weight and on processing plant carcass yield. For broilers, weight loss during the initial hours (5 to 6 hours) of feed withdrawal is attributed to the cleansing of the GI tract. This initial weight loss, which is reported to range from 0.3% to 0.6% of live weight per hour, may vary based on the starting time of feed withdrawal.

Cobb Eder Barbon 2

Eder Barbon | Cobb-Vantress

Poultry catching processes

Due to the impact on the carcass quality at the processing plant, broiler catching systems have evolved rapidly. Among all the pre-processing procedures, catching is the most stressful and where more numbers of physical injuries and, consequently, the greatest losses occur. Field observations have shown that the catching impacts are minimal in flocks where correct handling is used and on farms with high sanitary standards.

Automated catching equipment can be used and adapted to broiler houses with different dimensions but requires space for movement of the machine.

Comparisons of the cost of automated machines with the cost, availability, and quality of manual labor will vary by region of the world. In general, these machines have a catching capacity from 8,000 to 12,000 birds/hour, require 3 to 4 operators, and can be adapted to any type of coop or module.

In the manual process, birds may be caught either by the legs or the back. Catching must be conducted in a manner that minimizes bird stress and does not cause bird injury. Congregating birds into small areas using barriers or crates can help promote ventilation, reduce bird stress, and facilitate catching.

Conclusions

The timing of feed withdrawal can impact production costs in terms of feed costs and shrinkage of the live birds as well as impact quality through carcass contamination. Likewise, the catching and loading process can have a direct impact on quality. Although feed withdrawal and loading are only a fraction of the total rearing to processing period, these processes present big opportunities for producers to increase yield, improve quality, and reduce costs.

 

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