Carcass quality guide launched for poultry farmers

Broiler genetics firm Aviagen has released a free “pocket guide” that outlines a range of conditions and causes for carcass rejection at slaughter.

It is the latest in a series of such guides that the company produces to support farmers of its Abor Acres, Indian River and Ross breeds of broiler. The guide is pictorially-led and, the company said it would help producers highlight problems that often only emerged during processing.

See also: Exclusive interview with Aviagen’s UK manager Greame Dear

Each condition, such as footpad dermatitis or poor feather cover, is explained and a checklist provided to help point out causes and suggest solutions to common issues for processors.

Nick French, who is global head of technical transfer at Aviagen, said the tool was designed to help both farmers and processors improve profitability and product quality. “As always, many problems can be avoided by maintaining strong biosecurity and high-welfare practices, but good stockmanship has a really important part to play too.”

The full guide can be downloaded here.