MaleChain/FeMaleChain saves space in the house
Feeding male and female broiler breeders separately: easier than you might think!
The management of broiler breeders is very challenging. Breeders are very sensitive birds, especially regarding feeding. Even small errors can have a negative effect on hatching egg production. The be all and end all in broiler breeder management is therefore that males and females are fed according to their needs, i.e. strictly separately. Breeder managers also need to guarantee that the males do not eat the hens’ feed and that the hens cannot reach the males’ feed, either. Big Dutchman offers a solution: MaleChain.
The world’s first chain feeding system for separate male feeding requires just one trough for the entire chain loop.
“With the double loop, breeder managers save lots of space in the house,” says Big Dutchman product manager Jennifer Lindel about the central feature of MaleChain. She adds that “MaleChain is ideal for males with untrimmed beaks since the feed chain promotes natural beak smoothing”.
Another benefit of MaleChain: all birds receive their feed very quickly and – even more important – very uniformly. This is because the chain conveys the feed in two directions. The chain speed also plays an important role: “The feed covers a distance of 36 metres in one minute,” explains Jennifer Lindel. The feed reaches its destinations nearly simultaneously throughout the house, which has a positive effect on the male birds: they are less stressed while eating.
Male turns into FeMale
The male grille can be replaced by a special grille for females, converting MaleChain into FeMaleChain. The repurposed chain feeding system is a good option for breeder managers who want to increase the number of eating places for hens in their houses, which affects the females’ constitution positively.
Characteristics of FeMaleChain:
- space-saving chain loop
- easy retrofitting in existing houses
- simple feeding system above the manure pits
- standing and suspended versions