It is common knowledge that the US and European poultry industries are quite different. In the US poultry industry, eggs are often sent to large hatcheries. In Europe, we have seen on-farm hatching emerge. On-farm hatching is a revolutionary Dutch system developed to solve certain problems with transporting and hatching broiler chicks. In this episode, Dr. Hilde Van Meirhaeghe shares her experience as a vet consultant in a European setting and discusses the main differences between the poultry industries, delving into on-farm hatching and early feeding procedures.
“When it comes to on-farm hatching, the big advantage is that as soon as the chicks are born, they can eat and drink whenever they’re ready for it.” – Dr. Hilde Van Meirhaeghe