The five essentials in brooding.

Escalating commodity prices are decreasing profit margins and driving producers to seek ways of optimising their performance. Growers need to take a hard look at their management to find ways to fine tune their performance and gain the extra couple of cents per kg advantage. The key to success lies in establishing the physiological ‘building blocks’ – a well developed skeleton and healthy cardio vascular system. The importance of the brooding period cannot be emphasized enough, as this is the only opportunity to achieve such growth in a single week. The brooding period sets the precedent for good performance. To achieve the best start, the grower must provide the optimum transition from a hatchery to brooding environment which includes making sure the chicks begin feeding and drinking straightaway. The five essentials in brooding.

Brooding - Water management

Brooding - Water management. Clean water — the adage ‘if the grower cannot drink the water, the chicks should not’ holds true. Water access is equally important, but with a modern nipple drinker system this is easily achieved. A broiler chick’s water intake is always balanced with its excretion. Young chicks will consume more than they excrete due to the demands of growth. Water is 70% of the chick weight. Anything that negatively affects water intake will adversely affect feed consumption. At placement chicks will consume 1ml/bird/hour for the first 24 hours on the farm. Brooding - Water management

Vital role of chick transport in overall flock performance.

Vital role of chick transport in overall flock performance. Transporting day-old chicks from hatchery to farm plays a very vital role in the subsequent performance of the bird. However, transport conditions are still too often neglected when in fact they have the potential to significantly affect growth rate, feed conversion, meat yield and the development of the immune system. Nowadays, some companies still deliver day-old chicks from hatcheries to rearing farms at distances of 100 km (62.2 miles) or greater in vehicles which are several years old and may not have advanced ventilation and internal air mixing systems. This leads to uneven air distribution and air exchange, and consequently heat or cold stress on the baby chicks. The detrimental effects of such conditions will be proportional to journey duration. A day-old chick that comes out of the hatchery does not require feed and water for 48 hours due to their residual yolk. A yolk sac contains 1–2 grams of moisture, with two parts fat and one part protein. If early feed consumption is limited, the chick will use both fat and protein in the yolk for energy leaving inadequate protein levels for optimum growth. Vital role of chick transport in overall flock performance.

Growers given go-ahead to add salt to their mushrooms.

Growers given go-ahead to add salt to their mushrooms. While adding a little salt to enhance the flavour of mushrooms is common in cooking, mushroom growers are now able to add salt to their crops to help with the control of a range of fungal diseases. The European Commission (EC) has approved the use of salt (sodium chloride) under its basic substance programme. It joins a list of 16 other everyday substances – including vinegar, sucrose, sunflower oil and whey – that arable and horticultural growers are now authorized to use to control a variety of pests, weeds and diseases. Other unconventional plant protection products currently being reviewed for basic substance approval include soap and skimmed milk. Growers given go-ahead to add salt to their mushrooms.

An agronomic approach to pest management.

An agronomic approach to pest management. Preparation is an essential part of effective disease and insect management. The presence of water on leaves, high humidity levels, temperature changes and decreased air flow can lead to favorable conditions for a variety of diseases. And even the most rigorous sanitation program and careful scouting can't exclude all insects. However, by incorporating an agronomic program as part of your overall production plan, you can be better prepared for the coming season. In this webinar, you'll learn: 1)Just what is an "agronomic program".2) How to properly rotate pest control products by mode of action. 3)How to manage resistance during production. 4)How you can save time, money and resources. An agronomic approach to pest ,watch

How to grow lettuce, tomatoes with LED LIGHTS.

How to grow lettuce, tomatoes with LED LIGHTS. LED lighting technology is being used by more and more growers because of benefits that include faster growth, more flowering and improved coloration. Learn how LEDs can improve growth of lettuce, leafy greens, herbs and high-wire tomatoes and cucumbers. In this webinar, you’ll learn: 1)The benefits of adding supplemental light to your edible crop growing area. 2)Factors to consider when comparing LED to high-pressure sodium. 3)The effect of LED blue and red spectrum on crop growth. Watch

Free webinar to get you started with LED lighting.

Free webinar to get you started with LED lighting.With the 2018 growing season fast approaching, now is a good time to set up a small trial of LED lighting. If you’re not sure how or why to go about a trial, join us for this webinar to hear how other growers have initiated their first trial with LEDs and what they learned in the process. In this webinar, you’ll learn: 1) The importance of comparative lighting scenarios—how to track and measure.2)How LED lighting may impact crop inputs and other operational factors.3)Why LED lighting isn’t “one size fits all”. 4)Results from growers that have conducted trials under Philips LED. Register