The policy on antibiotics in Belgium and France will be further tightened in the long run, which offers opportunities for One2Born. “We collaborate with David Broeierij (Hatchery) and had our first experiences with hatching of chicks in the houses in Belgium and France,” says Frank de Louw of One2Born.
In the Netherlands, the bar for reducing the use of antibiotics in poultry farming is higher than in Belgium and France. “The Netherlands is stricter, but this is certainly also going to change in Belgium, because the targets will be further tightened in 2024. Poultry farmers’ use of antibiotics must be reduced, and hatching chicks in the barn can certainly help with this,” expects Hilde Van Meirhaeghe, who is a vet at Vetworks and chairperson of the Belgian hatchery association. Her work focuses on different systems for hatching chicks in the houses. Together with Arne David of Broeierij David, Hilde recently visited a Belgian broiler farmer who has experience with the One2Born system and is enthusiastic about the results. Frank de Louw of One2Born explained everything about the system during the visit.
Van Meirhaeghe can certainly see benefits in One2Born for chick health. “Chicks that hatch in the barn experience less stress and immediately have access to water and feed, which benefits intestinal health. It helps intestines develop faster and better. As a result, enterococci and leg problems have less of a chance, and far fewer antibiotics are needed in the first week,” says Van Meirhaeghe. “But use of antibiotics can also be reduced between the third and fifth week with optimal intestinal health, because fewer serious coccidiosis infections occur.. And that, in turn, helps prevent secondary clostridium problems. In addition to less use of antibiotics, this is also beneficial for animal welfare.”
One2Born in Belgium
Broeierij David in Belgium collaborates with One2Born. This Belgian hatchery specialises in the production of day-old chicks for broiler farms. “We supply 1.7 million day-old chicks per week to 250 broiler farmers in Belgium, the Netherlands and northern France. The hatchery has had initial experiences with the One2Born system for several years with different customers, says Arne David of the Belgian family business Broeierij David. Hatching in the houses and hatchery is a new experience. The hatchery has two state-of-the-art hatcheries in Slideerskapelle (Belgium) and in Looberghe (France), 30 minutes from the Belgian border. Broeierij David manages the entire chain in-house, including rearing, parent stock and hatching. “We can adapt the vaccination schedule to the viral load on broiler farms, for example, and adapt the breeding program to improve chick quality,” says David.
High-quality start-up
In Arne David’s experience, the One2Born system can contribute to a better start for chicks that have just hatched. “In this way, the system also indirectly reduces antibiotic use,” expects David. As a result of less strict regulations, pressure to reduce use of antibiotics is even lower in Belgium and France than in the Netherlands. As a result, poultry farmers are now even less motivated to switch from day-old chicks to One2Born. But this may change quickly if regulations become stricter. Van Meirhaeghe has also noticed that Belgian poultry farmers are still hesitant due to the costs and labour involved in hatching in the barn. “Our poultry farmers and hatcheries still need to get used to different systems and working methods. Overall, One2Born saves in these areas. It is a sustainable and welfare-friendly system, which can meet market demand. McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are already moving towards antibiotics-free chicken. Moreover, animal welfare plays an increasingly important role. One2Born responds well to this trend with the trays as enrichment play material for the chicks”, says Van Meirhaeghe. She mentions the homogeneous distribution in the barn as another advantage of the trays, so that the eggs and hatched chicks are not too close to each other. The fact that the trays stay behind in the barn is another benefit.
Preventing cross-contamination of pathogens, bacteria, viruses, etc. is important. One2Born’s design caters for this, since moving materials from barn to barn and/or back into the chain entails a higher risk. Assurance of biosecurity requires attention and we want to avoid contamination, says Van Meirhaeghe, pointing out that both One2Born and other systems are flexible systems. A chick farmer can decide for each individual cycle between opting for day-old chicks or hatching in the barn. Working with setter trays and/or systems can require significant investments from chick farmers and hatcheries: it is more expensive, difficult to maintain and keep hygienic and it is less flexible.
The One2Born team expects that sales of One2Born eggs will continue to grow in the longer term, not only in the Netherlands, but also across the border in Belgium and France. This is due to the tightening of the antibiotics policy, but also because of the wishes of retailers. “We notice that they are increasingly setting additional requirements for animal welfare, too, which will encourage more chains and poultry farmers to switch.”
The market is evolving and the collaboration with Broeierij David is going well. David’s high-quality eggs and One2Born trays make for a good combination, and we are all learning and developing further every day.
