The fattening period of broiler chickens has drastically shortened in recent decades: a broiler chicken increases its hatching weight 50-fold in 6 weeks’ time, by the time it reaches its slaughter weight. While in the 1950s a broiler chicken needed 120 days to attain 1.5 kg body weight, nowadays – as a result of intensive selection – less than 30 days are needed for that.
In 2018, broiler farmers of the European Union produced a total of 15.2 million tons of poultry meat, 3.5% of which was produced in Hungary. The past decade has seen an enormous increase in poultry production in the EU: between 2010 and 2018 the production of poultry meat increased by 3.2 million tons.
In order to fully utilize their genetic potential, today’s broiler chickens are much more demanding with regard to all factors of the production environment than their predecessors had been not more than 20–30 years ago. To remain competitive on the market, producers have to continuously improve the performance parameters of their flocks under conditions characterized by increasingly strict animal health regulations. In this situation, feed production companies also need to embrace continuous innovation and modernization.
Keeping in view the criteria of precision animal nutrition, Bonafarm-Bábolna Feed Ltd. develops nutritional recommendations and formulates advanced feeding programs that enable the full utilization of the genetic potential of intensively growing modern hybrids by precisely meeting their changing nutrient requirements throughout the fattening period, while lessening the burden placed on the environment. In addition to knowing the classical concepts of animal nutrition, the application of innovative technological solutions developed in related fields of science is also essential, within the fields of production technology and quality control alike.
In December every year, Aviagen Ltd. confers awards on broiler producers who have achieved a broiler index (EPEF) exceeding 400. The event held in December 2019 was attended by several broiler producers who are customers of Bonafarm-Bábolna Feed Ltd. The most outstanding result was achieved by György Svéger, a broiler producer in Pénzesgyőr (Veszprém county), with his broiler flock placed in July 2019 that achieved a broiler index of 505 with our PLATINUM broiler diet range (the broiler index is a factor calculated from multiple production parameters, which is a good indicator of the productivity and economic efficiency of a flock). This production index of 505 was the highest among those presented at the award ceremony. At the award ceremony the broiler index was adjusted to an identical slaughter weight. The following table contains the original broiler index calculation.
This result was achieved with Ross 308 cockerel chicks of 34 g average weight at day old, and with minimal mortality rate during rearing. The average results achieved in the year 2019 were as follows: number of chicks placed: 23,667, average body weight at slaughter: 2.66 kg, average length of the rearing period: 39 days, average mortality rate: 1.61%, feed conversion ratio: 1.41 kg/kg, broiler index: 464.
The objective of our development activity is to continuously modernize our feeds by following the most recent Hungarian and international research results and by relying on our practical experience. Bábolna Feed aims to produce feeds by the use of which our partners can achieve continuously improving results and produce broilers at a stable, balanced profit even under the current conditions of meat market price fluctuations.
