Topic
Technologies reshaping the hatchery–farm interface, flock performance, automation, and animal welfare.
3 stories
NextHen's Layers Laying Broilers (LLB) technology represents a departure from conventional breeding. Rather than trying to squeeze better reproductive performance from birds genetically optimized for rapid growth, LLB breaks the genetic link between broilers and their parents entirely. The result? Layer hens with exceptional reproductive capacity laying eggs out of which fast-growth broiler chicks hatch.
A puzzling trend has emerged in U.S. broiler production. After decades of improvement, hatchability has declined by 6 percentage points since 2012. This steady, significant decline represents a real threat to the industry's long-term efficiency and sustainability.
Cutting edge technologies like on-farm hatching, in-ovo sexing, and in-ovo vaccination are transforming the interface between the hatchery and the farm. By moving all post-hatch handling steps pre-hatch, these technologies can eliminate live animal handling at the hatchery all together, resulting in a supply chain that’s both more efficient and humane.