The 500 egg Club tour in Germany

Last week, ab ovo (the distributor of the Hendrix Genetics Breeds in Germany), together with our colleagues Hans van Sleeuwen (Area Manager Europe Hendrix Genetics Layers) and Jeroen Visscher (Chief Geneticist, Hendrix Genetics Layers) made their way to various egg producers in the north-west of Germany to hand over the "500 eggs Award" in a festive atmosphere.

The representatives of the respective feed mills, poultry veterinarians and egg packers have also been invited and accepted the invitation to join in the celebrations. Their presence provided a good basis for further conversations on day-to-day flock management, as the management strategy allowed to fully get the genetic potential out of the flock.

Chief geneticist Jeroen Vissscher was able to graphically illustrate the breeding success of Dekalb White with the data collected in advance from the respective farms. Especially the long-lasting high laying persistence is part of the Premium Performance of the Dekalb White. We start to see in the field that various egg producers are able to manage their flock to stay above 90% laying persistence for 70 weeks or longer! This is possible because of the genetic potential, the great focus on pullet development in rearing, the dedicated day-to-day flock management and a very flat egg weight curve all the way till the end. The grading records of the various packing stations also show that the shell quality remained at acceptable levels until the end. these eggcellent results, in both organic and free-range housing systems, show that the Hendrix Genetics chicken breeds are the sustainable choice. Only by selecting for robustness, good livability, and positive social behavior, these laying hens can be persistent, and therefor be kept for longer laying cycles by the egg producers. Laying hens that are fit and robust can be kept for longer laying cycles, as a consequence their ecological footprint is reduced, but also the extra costs related to in-ovo sexing can be spreaded over a larger amount of eggs.

Above all, the various families and their respective farm managers were in the foreground during these days!

A warm welcome to the following farms to the "500 Egg Club"

• Bronsema family from Cuxhaven
• Kreutzjans family from Surwold
• Family Langkawel from Sustrum
• Family Dörtelmann from Hüven
• Family Plass from Twist
• Brookman family from Osterwald
• Feldmann family from Groß Berßen
• Ostermann family from Lähden

"We are confident that our breeding program results in robust and healthier hens, with less negative impact on the environment, better earnings for the egg producer, and a better image for the egg sector."

Hans van Sleeuwen