October 17, 2023

Pas Reform Academy collaborates with Tyson Foods in US to train key hatchery staff

Pas Reform Academy recently organised a three-day hatchery training programme in collaboration with Tyson Foods, delivering both classroom training and hands-on practical hatchery sessions.

More than 20 team members from nine Tyson Foods and Cobb-Vantress hatcheries were invited to the state-of-the-art Tyson hatchery in Humboldt, Tennessee, the United States, to participate in the programme.

The programme revolved around incubation, technical support and engineering efficiencies and was tailor made to fit Tyson's needs. It focused on the latest insights in incubation technology, combined in a series of theoretical and practical exercises, where participants learned from Pas Reform Academy's trainers and shared experiences with other professional hatchery personnel.

Training began with an exploration of factors affecting hatching egg quality, with particular attention given to egg handling, sanitation and storage. A detailed presentation and practical applications in embryology followed to form a solid foundation for group discussions on how to optimise support for the embryo during incubation.

Classroom presentations were conducted by Royal Pas Reform's senior poultry specialist, Gerd de Lange, incubation specialist Eline Holtslag and HVAC specialist Niek Yntema, with additional presentations by Dale Maloney (Daikin) and Dr. Mike Wineland.

The second and third day entailed hands-on training in the Tyson hatchery. This included embryology, measuring egg-shell temperature, break out of clears and hatch debris, HVAC, egg-handling automation, in-ovo injection and transfer, and setter management. For this, the Royal Pas Reform training team was joined by global installation manager Emiel Fieldt, regional sales director Walt Wages and incubation specialists Rickey Cates and Terry Doss.

Eline Holtslag said the programme's goal "is to enhance the technical understanding and operational skills of key hatchery professionals, in order to deliver the highest number of best-quality chicks."

- Pas Reform