July 3, 2015

 

ISA: Why 500 eggs per hen may not only be profitable, but also sustainable

Animal welfare activists often paint a dismal picture of intensive layer production, one filled with sickly hens cramped in crowded housing. ISA instead aims to show how "500 eggs per hen housed" may not only mean greater profitability for egg producers, but also healthier lives for their birds.

 

By Ngai Meng CHAN

In 2011, ISA reported a genetic improvement of about 2.5 eggs per year for its commercial layers. Together with the extension of the laying cycle from 68 to 75 weeks of age, this meant 70 more eggs in the past 20 years. And by 2020, ISA projects that most of its commercial layers will produce about 500 eggs in a production cycle of 100 weeks, which it has made it to be its current mission. In fact, some of its commercial flocks are already meeting this target, so it could be said that ISA is well ahead of its programme.

 

According to the company, achieving this mission will mean a single flock will produce higher first-quality egg numbers, resulting in higher return on investment for egg producers. Producers are expected to increase their production by eight to ten eggs per laying cycle. 

 

Just as important, ISA believes that egg production will then also be more sustainable, due to the longer economic life of hens, and the resulting reduced need to replace flocks.

 

In addition to these improved traits, more than 90 traits are measured in ISA's breeding programme, of which more than 50 are linked to the quality of table eggs. Historically, the first quality trait under selection was egg weight, followed by traits like shell thickness, egg specific gravity and other external egg quality traits (the most well known nowadays are breaking strength and egg shell colour) and also internal egg quality traits (like Haugh unit, meat- and blood-spots).

 

As liveability is an important trait, it also receives continuous high selection pressure. This takes place through basic research (i.e. in the field of genomic selection) and field testing (such as Recurrent Testing in different environments). ISA's strategy is to have a balanced focus on parent stock and final product traits, with room reserved for selection of parent traits such as hatchability and chick quality.

 

Apart from the obvious contribution of genomics in these developments, ISA believes that environmental factors have a key role to play as well. Regardless of the selection method, achieving high egg numbers requires the combination of genomics and environmental factors such as animal management, nutrition, climate changes, housing, health status, access to technology, and genomic changes created from traditional selective breeding which are expected to continue to contribute to genetic progress.

 

The recognition of the necessary role of these environmental factors has enabled the company to respond quickly to the growing need for animal welfare in layer and egg production.

 

For example, an emerging hot topic in some European countries is leading to plans on a possible ban on the euthanasia of layer cockerels at hatch (as cockerels are often of little commercial value to layer producers). ISA had anticipated this development a number of years ago, by developing a new breed - the ISA DUAL.

 

ISA DUAL hens will ideally produce 325 eggs at 80 weeks of age, while their brother chicks will reach a bodyweight of two kilograms at ten weeks of age.

 

However, the company stressed that its focus remain in breeding layers, not broilers. Therefore the main focus for the ISA DUAL has still been on maintaining the hen's egg production, since the highest economic revenue for the layer/egg producer is most likely to come from the sale of eggs rather than the sale of chicken meat.

 

In their breeding programme for the ISA DUAL, the company raises the selection pressure on higher male body weight of the male lines while not neglecting egg production in both the male and female lines.

 

The new breed is said to be a brown colour sexing cross which is less than 10% behind in egg production (remarkably not too far off from the mission of 500 eggs per hen) compared to ISA's main commercial brown products, with males having better appetite and displaying phenomenal growth. The eggs are somewhat smaller in size compared to their main commercial products, with egg quality comparable to the competition.

 

The company admits that one should not expect a full-grown broiler-type at ten weeks of age, but should be satisfied to find "a nicely fleshed cockerel, with meaty thighs, subtle breast fillets and long drumsticks". ISA believes that when marketed as a whole cockerel, the ISA DUAL can definitely be seen as a niche product, competing with specialty birds like guinea fowl, partridges or pheasants.

 

While this development will appease the palate of some consumers, and perhaps some animal welfare activists, the company believes that the ISA DUAL is not the end-all of concluding the ongoing debate on the culling of male day-old chicks.

 

In short, the ISA DUAL will be of high interest to organic farmers, as it fits their story - producing eggs with hens of which the brothers fulfill a different need in the animal protein consumption chain instead of being mercilessly culled when they are just a day-old. Besides, the ISA DUAL hens are heavier (end-of-lay body weight of 2.4-2.5 kg) than other products currently available on the market, and more robust with a good appetite to cope with organic diets in which no added free amino acids are allowed.

 

This brings us to an important point that a distinction should sometimes be made between what is good animal welfare practice, and what is sustainable practice, something which laypeople often don't realise.

 

For instance, ISA goes as far as to say that the ISA DUAL, with all its merits in traits relating to animal welfare, will not contribute to a more sustainable way of poultry production in relation to feed efficiency or animal protein production; it is less efficient in egg production compared to the company's other hybrids, not even to mention its comparison in growth with broilers.

 

Separately, in parts of the world where a lot of small family backyard farms can be found, the ISA DUAL might better suit their businesses compared to the specialised layer breeds or local breeds they currently keep.

 

When compared to the cockerels of the specialised layer breeds, the cockerels of the ISA DUAL grow heavier and faster. For ISA DUAL hens, the heavier body weight (10-20% heavier) at the end of lay will result in higher income from the sale of spent hens. In many of those countries there is good demand for spent hens resulting in good prices for sale at local markets. 

 

 

ISA breeds pure line layers in seven R&D centres located in Canada, France and the Netherlands and produces Parent Stock layers in five main production centres located in Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, France and Indonesia.

 

·          Each year, 9 million measurements are done on the eggs laid in ISA's R&D facilities and more than 6 million measurements on the eggs produced under commercial conditions

The company also partners with distributors all over the world and this provides for its proximity to final consumers as well as to better meet local requirements. It delivers about half of all the layers in the world, and has a strong presence on every continent.