Aviagen, the world's leading poultry breeding company, has announced the formation of a new global Hatchery Support Working Group aimed at further improving the level of customer service available from the Aviagen Technical Team.

The group includes incubation support specialists, and representatives from each of the regional technical teams and from each of the Aviagen production bases.

To help improve problem diagnosis even further, Aviagen has enlisted the help of military technology, using a thermal imaging camera to look at egg storage and incubation conditions.

Dinah Nicholson, Global Manager, Hatchery Development and Support, said this is the first time this technology has been used in this way, and it had helped to diagnose a variety of issues including cold or hot spots in the incubators.

''We were also able to see live chicks which were not being held in their thermal comfort zone, because their feet would look cold. Spotting these issues early means that action and resolutions can be swift and effective.''

Additionally, the company has released a new Ross Tech 'Investigating Hatchery Practise' which focuses on hatchery techniques and will be available to all customers soon via the Aviagen website.