With intensification of broiler production, total or partial condemnation of carcasses has risen, owing to poor growth rates, cellulitis, water belly, downgrades and high mortality.
Because of these enormous losses, the broiler industry has constantly tried to improve the facilities, optimise the stocking densities and even improve some management techniques. Furthermore, broiler producers continuously seek new ways of reducing the condemnation rates at the slaughter house.
Recently, more and more trials have demonstrated that concentrating the vaccination in the hatchery could significantly improve the profitability to the farmers. Indeed, the reduction of vaccinations applied in the farms can contribute to reduced mortalities during growing, minimal condemnation at the processing plant and consequently avoidance of huge financial losses that farmers could experience.
The vaccination of the day-old chicks in the hatcheries effectively started in the 1970s with the use of Mareks vaccine. Now vaccines against Newcastle disease, IB and Gumboro are available for day-old vaccination.
Kenchic has subsequently introduced TRANSMUNE vaccination against Gumboro and VITABRON against Newcastle and Infectious Bronchitis diseases in day-old chicks at the hatchery. These vaccines have wide spread use in Europe, Brazil, China and emerging markets in Nigeria as well as the Middle East.