Quarantine Regulations
Fertile breeding eggs, of the great-grandparent generation, are imported for hatching by the industry every 1-2 years from two major international livestock breeding companies. Strict quarantine regulations protect the unique and superior health status of the New Zealand poultry flock.
Fertile hatching eggs of the great-grandparent generations are sent by airfreight in sealed containers to New Zealand. They are then transported directly to quarantine farms and hatcheries under Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) supervision.
The imported fertile hatching eggs are hatched at company-owned quarantine farms under MAF supervision. MAF import health standards and quarantine supervision, combined with careful industry biosecurity, has enabled New Zealand poultry to remain free from a number of serious exotic diseases.
Quarantine Farms – Breeding Farms
After 21 days in specially-designed incubators, the chicks hatch. Following health and biosecurity clearance, the birds are transferred to great-grandparent breeding farms. The grandparent breeders produce the next generation of birds, called the parent stock. The eggs from parent stock are hatched in hatcheries and the parent stock is raised on breeder farms. This third generation of bird produces the flock of layer hens. The same process applies to broiler birds.
A breeding farm contains numerous custom-designed poultry sheds, each with approximately 1000m2 of floor space. The major poultry producing companies own their own breeding farms, supplemented by some contract operators, and supply eggs to their company’s hatchery. Each breeding farm has a manager who works closely with company support staff, such as the livestock manager and veterinarian.
Breeding Birds
Body weight and nutrition controls are precise and flock health is monitored and reviewed constantly. Conditions for comfort and health are carefully controlled, and the birds are housed in free-run conditions on deep litter with access to feed and water at all times.
Following the predetermined programme, the breeding birds are vaccinated against possible diseases. To monitor the effectiveness of vaccination against disease, blood samples from a sample of breeder chickens are taken every ten weeks. In addition, swab testing in sheds and sampling of water and feed is routine and takes place every six weeks. Companies have their own laboratories to test samples and are responsible for disease control. If there were an outbreak of exotic disease, MAF would be notified.
Between each flock of birds the sheds are thoroughly cleaned and sanitised. Sheds are then tested for bacteria to ensure the effectiveness of the sanitisation.
Hatching – Setter and Hatcher
The hatching operation takes 21 days and involves two stages, the setter and the hatcher. This replaces the hen’s ‘job' of incubating the eggs in the nest. When the eggs are first received from breeding farms, they are placed on racks for passage through the ‘setter room’. The room is then fumigated. For 18 days, machines provide ventilation, the mechanical turning of eggs and the precise control of temperature and humidity. The machines simulate natural conditions for proper embryonic development.
The second hatching stage takes 3 days. The hatcher has similar conditions, but does not turn the eggs. Throughout the 21 days, hygiene disciplines and health monitoring are comprehensive. Machine controls and temperatures are so critical that hatchery managers have 24 hour alarm alerts. Computers are used to control settings.
After hatching, the chicks are graded and vaccinated (normally breeders and commercial layers only). With layers and breeders, and in some operations broilers also, chicks are sexed. They are then counted and dispatched urgently to either breeding or broiler farms, depending on their parentage. Before entering the 21 day cycle, eggs can be stored in cool conditions for about a week. This helps the company plan one-day-old chicks to future growers’, processors’ and retailers’ requirements.
The cycle of breeding, growing, processing and marketing poultry:
