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AIf the Belgian supermarket chains have their say, hatching chicks in the poultry house will be the standard practice in five years’ time. “That’s very encouraging news. Colruyt and OKay are the first Belgian retailers to stipulate hatching in the house in their specifications. We have been aware for a long time that higher animal welfare criteria are vital to secure a social licence to operate for the future. Our One2Born system will help broiler farmers and the sector achieve this.”

In mid-August 2021, supermarket chains Colruyt and OKay announced their intention to switch to broilers that satisfy higher animal welfare criteria. Colruyt and OKay have committed to go even further than the BCC criteria by allowing chicks to be hatched directly in the poultry house. The initiators behind the One2Born system will be demonstrating just how the hatching system works at the Dutch Poultry Expo 2021 in Hardenberg. Since 2015, Frank de Louw, Huub van Santvoort and Willem van den Boom have been working on perfecting the system of hatching chicks in the poultry house. This revolutionary innovation was already awarded the Herman Wijffels Innovation Award in the Food & Agri category in 2015. At the time, the jury praised the system as a step in the right direction in the field of animal welfare. This year, Colruyt and OKay stated that allowing chicks to hatch in the house is a vital component of higher animal welfare criteria, which include not transporting animals and providing immediate access to water and feed at hatch.

The basis of our system is the One2Born tray or hatchholder from which the chicks hatch in their eventual living environment. “The venturi and convection channels in the One2Born trays are special features of the stackable and sterile hatchholders. These channels ensure a natural flow of air over each, individual pre-incubated egg. This innovative design protects the hatching eggs and the natural hatching process can continue during transport and after the hatchholders have been placed in the house.”

One2Born: better results

Broiler farmers who already use the One2Born system are enthusiastic about the excellent health of their chicks and the technical and financial results. They notice fewer enterococci infections and foot sole lesions. One2Born chicks perform better post-hatch than regular day-old chicks. This results in healthy and vital chicks, which is perfectly logical, as these chicks have not been subjected to any stress during transport and have immediate access to water and feed. Other frequently seen benefits include higher hatchability, a lower feed conversion rate, a higher slaughter weight in the same growth period and lower mortality.

Another important advantage is that the hatchholder and eggshells are left in the house and can be used as enrichment material for the chicks. This has a positive effect on animal welfare. The biodegradable hatchholder is made of pulp and decomposes in the house. Using the system also helps reduce the use of antibiotics, which saves costs and is good for the public image of the poultry sector. One2Born is a simple solution to a complex problem. It is better for the chicks, the sector as a whole and for broiler farmers. We look forward to welcoming you at the Dutch Poultry Expo trade event in Hardenberg to experience the One2Born concept. Visit us on Wednesday 8 September and Thursday 9 September at the Dutch Poultry Expo in the Evenementenhal Hardenberg for more information and advice (Hall 4, Stand 4.60).

Will we see you at the Dutch Poultry Expo?

Date: September 8 & 9, 2021
Location: Evenementenhal Hardenberg
Hall: 4
Stand: 4.60

See you at our stand!