May 27, 2024

 

Aviagen's EMEAA hatchery school celebrates 10th anniversary in Hungary 

The Aviagen^® Incubation Team recently welcomed customers to the 10th annual Hatchery and Incubation Management Module of the Production Management School for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA) in Budapest, Hungary.

 

On April 19-26, 39 students from 19 EMEAA countries attended the event.

 

The hatchery school's course was specially designed to empower attendees with enhanced skills and strategies to optimise their hatchery operations. Each day students engaged in knowledge sharing with Aviagen and external hatchery and incubation specialists, with essential topics including:

 

    - Day 1: Biosecurity, hatching egg care and data handling and analysis techniques;

 

    - Day 2: The science of incubation, including temperature, humidity and air quality management;

 

    - Day 3: Embryo development, fertility considerations, temperature logging practices, an egg storage case study and the considerable impact of incubation on broiler performance;

 

    - Day 4: Alternative hatching systems, hatchery transfer protocols and chick quality assessment;

 

    - Day 5: Ventilation strategies, hatchery design and a practical case study;

 

    - Day 6: Biosecurity and final exam.

 

A highlight of the programme were the practical sessions, including a hands-on activity led by incubation specialists Bo Jiang, Guillermo Reyes and Yao Fang, where students constructed mini-incubators. Throughout the week, students cared for their fertile eggs and monitored their development.

 

For this year's event, Aviagen chose one promising student to be awarded with the David Butler Award, which recognises students who have shown outstanding leadership, communication and innovation, along with notable progress and growth. The 2024 Hatchery Module's David Butler Award was presented to Ionut Ciuca, hatchery manager at Carmistin International in Romania.

 

"On behalf of the Aviagen Incubation team, I congratulate Ionut on this remarkable achievement, and look forward to his ongoing contributions to the industry. Like industry legend David Butler, Ionut has shown a commitment to continuous improvement and a passion for poultry,"

 

Commenting on this year's hatchery school graduations, Eddy van Lierde, global head of incubation services, said: "(The graduates) represent the future of our industry, and we have every confidence they will apply the knowledge learned here to enhance their home operations and drive progress throughout our industry."

- Aviagen