How hatcheries can be ready for animal welfare audits

While there is a wide variety of auditing programs that assure that poultry hatcheries are following good welfare practices, the National Chicken Council (NCC)-based animal welfare audit guidelines in most cases will put hatchery managers in a “very good position for any audit that a customer our outside firm might do,” said Dallas Wynn, senior manager, animal welfare, Tyson Foods.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Roy Graber)
(Roy Graber)

Attention to animal welfare is important at all stages of the chicken’s life, including the earliest stages in the hatchery.

While there is a wide variety of auditing programs that assure that poultry hatcheries are following good welfare practices, the National Chicken Council (NCC)-based animal welfare audit guidelines in most cases will put hatchery managers in a “very good position for any audit that a customer our outside firm might do,” said Dallas Wynn, senior manager, animal welfare, Tyson Foods.

Speaking during The Poultry Federation Poultry Symposium for Production & Processing on April 16, Wynn explained there are 13 key components for hatcheries to be compliant with a NCC-based animal welfare audits. Those are:

Identifying who is responsible for animal welfare

If an auditor asks who is responsible for animal welfare, it might seem like a trick question, Wynn said, because everyone at the facility is responsible for animal welfare.

But what auditors are really looking for is a single person who is ultimately accountable for seeing that animal welfare practices are being carried out correctly or problem areas are being addressed. It could be a hatchery manager, but it could also be a person specifically appointed to that responsibility. Regardless, there needs to be one lead person on welfare initiatives.

Annual employee training

Animal welfare trainings at hatcheries must be done annually, at a minimum. It can be more often than that, Wynn said.

Typically, there are two different parts of a training, he said. One is a more generalized training that covers bird behavior, information about how hatching is done, as well as general bird biology and how it relates to animal welfare.

But trainings must also be done for task-specific procedures, such as culling, euthanasia, sexing and vaccinations. Auditors will want to see that all specifics are covered, and will want to see all records of those trainings, Wynn said.

Have written plans for disaster response

Disasters will happen, such as a power outage or structural damage caused by a storm. It is important to have a written plan for what will be done when these events happen and how it will be managed.

While it might seem daunting to plan for every possible scenario, such as what type of damage can be done to a hatchery, it is O.K. for it to be generalized.

Have an alarm system

It is necessary to have an alarm system that alerts you to critical system failures. These can include failures to heating and electrical systems. Most modern facilities have some sort of alarm or bell to alert staff of these failures. However, a monitoring system could be having a person who just watches these systems all day and alerts the staff of problems as quickly as possible, Wynn said.

It is important to have a documented emergency plan, so incubators can continue to function as they should.

Don’t allow chicks to drop from a height of more than 12 inches

A chick should never drop from a height of more than 12 inches. Usually, these drops will happen during belt transitions.

Wynn said it may not seem like 12 inches is that high, but if you think of a chick being 2-3 inches tall, 12 inches is more than four times their height. If a human who is 6-feet tall, a 24-foot fall would hurt pretty badly. While Wynn said birds and people are different, 12 inches is the standard.

If there are cases where chicks are subject to potential falls of more than 12 inches, it would be advisable to add some sort of slide to break the fall.

Written programs

Every standard operating procedure (SOP) and training program should be written. Each procedure and program should be separated in labeled notebooks, so when an auditor arrives, hatchery staff won’t be scrambling to fine them or sort them out.

Written protocol for the separation process

There needs to be specific protocols on the separation process, and written instructions on what actions to take when a certain scenario occurs, such as what is to be done to prevent chicks from entering the tray washer.

Only use AVMA euthanasia methods

The NCC audits call for hatcheries to only use euthanasia methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Normally, that will be mechanical maceration, Wynn said. If that is the method that is being used, auditors will usually examine and listen to the macerator to make sure it is functioning as it should.

There are other approved methods, such as deprivation of oxygen by other gasses. Make sure that process if done correctly.

Wynn added that the one thing that will guarantee an audit failure is if the auditor sees a live chick in your waste stream. Wynn also stresses the importance of recording the number of culls done.

Evaluate chicks once per day

Hatchery operators need to evaluate at least 1,000 chicks per day before shipments go out. However, Wynn said these chicks do not necessarily need to be per truckload or per flock.

Temperature range goals

Identify a goal temperature for your hatchery and have it in writing. It needs to be a temperature range that strives to keep the birds comfortable. It should not be so hot that they are panting and not so cold that they are huddling.

If you fall out of that temperature range goal, keep record of it and what corrective action you took.

Plan to retrieve loose chicks

Have a written program in place to retrieve loose chicks on floor. It should be implemented at a minimum of when you do a flock change, and it can be more often.

This is important not only for the health and safety of the chick, but also for the safety of the employees as chicks on the floor can be a tripping hazard.

Also, if there are chicks on the floor, ask how they got there. They probably fell more than 12 inches to get there, so have a plan to prevent that and manage it if does happen.

Chick delivery vehicles

Transporting chicks involves more than just driving a truck. Drivers have to have trainings and SOPs. A deliver vehicle is a “very sophisticated piece of equipment,” Wynn said.

Understand how those trucks and trailers are managed. Have a plan for a loss of power or an accident and how those situations are to be handled.

Transport vehicle temperatures

Welfare is important in the delivery process, which includes the temperatures. These vehicles must have temperature control capabilities, and alarms that notify the driver if the temperature gets out of the appropriate range.

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