Planton Farms co-founder Dr Annie Rayner said dual-purpose birds are more likely to be more robust. Photo: Collected
A UK research project will combine desk-based research with small-scale trials to explore the practicalities and sustainability of dual-purposed, pasture-raised poultry.
Planton Farms in Shropshire is embarking on the pioneering project as a potential integrated enterprise for UK farms. Co-founder Dr Annie Rayner said dual-purpose poultry was important given the ethical issues around culling day-old male chicks and various bans across EU countries. It is expected to be restricted by regulations in the UK in the next 5-10 years.
Specialised breeding has resulted in highly productive chickens with efficient feed conversion rates, but these breeds rely on high-protein feeds, often sourced from imported ingredients like soy. These breeds are poorly suited to outdoor organic systems.
Meat and laying hens are reared together
Dual purpose poultry systems offer a potential solution by finding a role for the male birds as meat. The dual-purpose system offers a counterpart to specialisation, as the meat and laying hens are reared together. Their use is commonplace on small-scale farms in Africa and Asia.
Rayner said dual-purpose birds are more likely to be more robust: “We are likely to see fewer problems such as welfare issues or mortality, so the dual-purpose bird is also probably going to be much more appropriate for a pasture, low-input system.”
She hoped the dual-purpose birds would require fewer externalised costs in order to get a reduced productive output – currently, dual-purpose birds produce around 200 eggs per cycle compared to conventional layers in industrialised systems that are producing 320 eggs.
The meat on the dual-purpose birds will also be different with “bigger legs and smaller breast meat, so it is really going to change how we perceive that product output,” she added.
Soy and grain versus seeds and insects
A lot of poultry currently raised requires soy and grain input – quite different from the pastoral approach, where birds will access seeds and insects.
The research will look at feed and breeding options: “We want to explore the most appropriate chickens, and I think part of that is going to be around their productive output…. And focusing a bit more on the meat side. Although we want them to produce eggs, actually I think we’re potentially coming at it from a slightly more meat angle because I think that’s quite a unique point. It’s really hard to purchase a dual purpose, male cockerel in the UK,” said Rayner.
She added: “We’re also looking at housing and how chickens can be practically applied on a variety of farms, so there’s our own kind of context which is around portable chicken sheds that can move around the farm and can be integrated into the kind of cattle systems too, but recognising this might not be perfect for everybody else.”
“Other people might want a more kind of static systems, so then how can you make sure that you’re not overloading the soil; how can you make sure they get fresh range and pasture too?” she added.
Trial design
There will be a total of 6 participating farms that will all rear either a group of male meat birds or female laying hens, or both for the whole production cycle. All the farms sell directly, including via onsite butcheries, and direct sales to local butcheries and retailers. Flock sizes on the farms range from 150 birds to 1,000 birds.
Existing infrastructure on the farms will not change, as the researchers want to understand the feasibility of transitioning from systems designed for specialists to dual-purpose breeds, and consider what modifications and costs may be necessary.
Productivity
*Each site will use a checklist to monitor key factors:
*Egg production size (S, M, L, VL), seconds, floor eggs (females)
*Feed input per bird
*Age at slaughter, variation across flock, carcass weight (males)
Growth rates
Qualitative data on the time and labour will be collected by farmers in the trial and analysed by the researchers who will use productivity and sales data to understand and build examples of the economic outcomes associated with dual-purpose poultry systems.
Assessing welfare of the birds
Researchers will visit each farm 10 weeks after placement of each flock, which will give a good indication of welfare and condition of male birds. Welfare data can also be captured at the point of slaughter (12-18 weeks). Producers will also assess female welfare at 40 weeks. AssureWel protocols will be used for laying hens, which includes feather score, dirtiness, mortality and behaviour.
Timelines
The first eggs will be sourced and the first trial flocks placed on farms during February and March. Monitoring of pullet/young roosters will take place in March and April and site visits to assess male and female pullets will begin in May. Data collection will take place in June and the first interim progress reports are expected in the summer.
The initiative has been awarded funding as part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. The project is a collaboration with researcher Dr Elizabeth Rowe from the University of Reading and Mike Theodorou of Biosource Consulting.
Source: Email/GFMM
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