With the low failure rate in the last round, 4.3 per cent at sixty weeks which puts it below the average of ForFarmers customers, is a good result at Jeroen and Brendy Uijlen from Nistelrode. Several factors may underlie the good performance of the broiler breeder farm. The drive of a passionate entrepreneur also plays a major role. Jeroen Uijlen is fanatically working on animal health on a daily basis and sees the benefits of acidifying the drinking water with Premium Acid and Nutriforte® from Kanters. “When I use Premium Acid I see the loss of weight decrease immediately. I use Nutriforte when I feel my animals need something extra.”
"I can't cope with drop-out"
“I can’t stand rejection”, explains the poultry farmer his drive. At the main location in Nistelrode, the company keeps just under fifteen thousand ROSS 308 mother birds for the production of hatching eggs. Another ten thousand or so are kept at the second location in Heeswijk-Dinther. Jeroen Uijlen sees the low mortality rate as a confirmation of his working methods, but he realises that a lucky factor also applies. “No two rounds are the same. You have to switch at the right moment. I find it important that things run smoothly in the barn. I’d rather set something up more often than go over the edge. Perhaps that is not always the best choice economically speaking. Still, if things are going well in the barn, it gives more pleasure to work there.
The good performance speaks in favour of Uijlen’s philosophy. The choices he makes in terms of feed and drinking water work out well. The acidification of the drinking water may not be the only explanation for the low failure rate, but the poultry farmer is convinced that it does contribute to it. “Premium Acid structurally gives the best results in my situation. We tested several products and this one came out best for us. Mortality has become less, also because of the combination with good feed and good guidance from our veterinarian practice AdVee.”
Premium Acid from Kanters is a synergistic combination of non-buffered organic acids. It contributes to good health. Lowering the pH in the gastrointestinal tract inhibits potentially pathogenic bacteria and improves protein digestion. Uijlen acidifies the drinking water once a week, in a continuous cycle of two days. “The chickens like to drink it. In terms of water consumption, we have increased by thirty litres per flock. Drinking enough is important to get rid of waste products and to eat more. We don’t notice any negative effects like the litter getting wetter.”
Nutriforte
Another product that Uijlen uses is Nutriforte. This is a Kanters blend based on organic acids, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The product is used to supplement nutrients and stimulate the natural defence system. “We use Nutriforte especially at the beginning of the flock or after an inoculation. It contains a little more vitamins and minerals for extra support. An extra boost, so to speak.”
Dosing
Uijlen uses the special Optimus® dosage pump from Kanters to acidify the drinking water. This is a patented dosing system that optimises the use of drinking water and ensures accurate and precise dosing. “This automatically adds very low amounts of acid, with a pH value of 3.8, to the drinking water,” explains Uijlen. The poultry farmer then uses round drinkers in the house instead of nipples. “For me, that is also a good check whether there is enough water available. Besides, if you’re thirsty yourself, you don’t want to drink from a straw, do you?
Kanters then offers to take measurements in the barn to determine the dosage. “We have a special water box for this”, explains sales manager Ilonka Wijers. “This allows us to check whether the dosage is still the same at the last nipple, the last round drinker in Uijlen’s barn. We can also check the microbiological composition.” Technical support manager Erica Bongers complements her colleague. “If you put a product in drinking water, it should always be cleaned as well. That should not be forgotten either. If the poultry farmer includes this as a standard part of the management, you can achieve a lot when it comes to the health of the animal.”
Cleaning and disinfection of drinking pipes
Uijlen cleans and disinfects its drinking pipes as standard when they are empty and uses Aqua-clean® for this purpose. The product is based on hydrogen peroxide stabilised with a special complex with silver. The effervescent reaction of oxygen with organic pollution that Aquaclean produces, dissolves biofilm and prevents dirt from remaining in the system. After set-up, Uijlen takes samples. The effect is so good that in the last round he did not have to unscrew and clean the water tanks. “That saves a lot of work. We save that time again.”
The poultry farmer praises the relationship with Kanters. “I found out about the company from another poultry farmer, who was working on a new product. We used a product against blood lice as a trial at our other location in Heeswijk-Dinther.” For Uijlen, the lice trial was his first introduction to Kanters. “We got in touch with Kanters and decided to test two products for acidifying the drinking water. When our old pump broke down, our supplier came up with the Optimus pump. So Kanters also supplies that. Uijlen hopes to continue the good results achieved recently. “We are technically running well, so there is no reason to change anything at the moment.
Are you interested in the Optimus dosing pump? Please contact Kanters on (0499) 625 600 or send an email to mailto:info@kanters.nl
