Poultry

The HCS ProLife is a smart solution leading fresh drinking water through the hatching crates. (Image source: Giordano)

Giordano unveiled the HatchCargoSystem – ProLife (HCS ProLife) — a gamechanger in the early feeding phase of day-old-chicken — at last month's Eurotier Exhibition that took place in Hannover, Germany

The HCS ProLife is a unique sy stem that provides day-old chicken with fresh drinking water and feed inside the hatchery and during road transport. In addition to these internal drinking gutters, the trays are also equipped with feeding gutters, with both drinking and eating being positioned on either sides of the tray, providing maximum access to chicks.

Customers who wish to hatch the day-old-chicken will be provided with a smart tray that can be placed alternately between the crates and offers enough space for 74 hatching eggs. Having a unique framework, these trays allow the day-old-chicks to easily find their way onto the underlying crate immediately after hatching, where they have direct access to fresh drinking water and feed. The tray design allows the fresh drinking water to overflow from the above crate to the one below the tray, all the while ensuring a calm flow down and zero splashing. 

Extensive testing which has been carried out on the system has shown that the water quality remains within all current standards, right down up to and including the last crate. The system can be used in all existing incubators with very minor adjustments, allowing customer expectations to be met, while also keeping law and legistlations costs low. 

TARGAN brings AI-driven system WingScan to the European market. (Image source: TARGAN)

Animal AgTech company TARGAN, Inc. recently secured a new contract with IKO Kompania Drobiarska to install TARGAN's automated feather-sexing system, WingScan 

This collaboration debuted at EuroTier 2024 in Hannover, Germany this year, following which it demonstrated TARGAN's commitment to delivering innovative AI-powered solutions to poultry producing companies across Europe. 

Depending on configuration, the WingScan system offers a throughput of 40,000–160,000 chicks per hour, with up to 98% accuracy. Automated chick sexing enhances efficiency and performance, providing downstream benefits at both the farm and processing levels. By implementing gender-specific rearing strategies, producers can improve flock uniformity, ultimately optimising plant operations.

IKO's CEO, Zbigniew Idziaszek expressed pride in being one of the first companies in Europe to integrate WingScan into their hatchery, while looking forward to the positive impact as they continued to expand their operations. He also highlighted how TARGAN's system perfectly aligned with their goals of boosting efficiency, enhancing quality and improving welfare standards across all stages of production.

Viscon Hatchery Automation, TARGAN’s commercial distribution and service partner for WingScan across select European markets, was instrumental in facilitating the agreement with IKO. The European launch of WingScan reaffirms TARGAN’s commitment to advancing animal protein production globally by delivering scalable, next-generation automation that meets the increasing demands of the poultry industry.

Area Sales Manager, Tomasz Zimnicki mentioned that the collaboration provided a tremendous opportunity to meet the specific needs of the European market. "IKO is well-positioned to fully capitalise on the downstream benefits at every stage of production—from hatchery to farm to processing plant—maintaining a strong competitive edge. We are excited about the continued collaboration between TARGAN and Viscon and are fully prepared to provide the highest quality support and service as more customers adopt the WingScan system,” said Zimnicki. 

For poultry processors seeking to optimise their anatomic leg processing operations, ALPINE offers unparalleled efficiency, consistency and ease of use. (Image source: Marel)

Given the high demand for deboned leg meat, the Anatomic Leg Processor Innovative New Evolution (ALPINE) represents a significant leap forward in anatomic leg processing

By maintaining top-level performance while handling a wide range of weights and reducing labor dependency, ALPINE addresses processors' needs for increased production volumes while also maximising yield and quality. A number of advanced technologies such as the Hip Dislocation Wheel have been used to realise ALPINE's high performance. This unique feature allows for precise control of the hip tilting movement─needed to achieve an anatomical cut─without exerting excessive force or removing the leg from the shackle. It results in improved performance and virtually inexistent leg loss. 

In an attempt to further enhance accuracy and minimise errors, ALPINE incorporates advanced back piece separation and detection technology which prevents incorrectly cut legs. Optionally, processors can integrate a special module to remove groin skin automatically, meeting specific market demands while saving considerable manual trimming labour.

Easy operation

ALPINE is equipped with a user-friendly HMI touchscreen, making it easy to enter a recipe that matches the specific characteristics of the incoming flock. This automatically engages the proper machine settings to provide the highest possible leg yield. 

The screen also shows performance data, enabling processors to monitor key metrics such as backpiece detection, leg loss, and unprocessed legs. Built-in machine software provides this real-time and historical performance data. Such proactive insights minimise the need for manual intervention and prevent downtime. ALPINE’s data-driven approach enables processors to maintain peak performance with minimal need for maintenance.

Wide weight range with consistent results

Designed to process high-yield anatomic legs across an unprecedented range of bird weights without requiring major adjustments, ALPINE's versatility is valuable for processors handling diverse flock weights. This enables them to optimise operations even in big bird processing markets. 

Regardless of weight fluctuations, the result will always be consistent: a high-yield leg. Compatible with both water-chilled and air-chilled lines, ALPINE easily integrates into existing setups and pairs excellently with Marel's Thigh Fillet System, at a capacity of up to 7,200 products per hour.

Saving labour

Keeping legs within the shackles at all times enables ALPINE to practically eliminate product drops and minimise rework, downtime and labour. Digital operation, automated settings, reduced need for adjustments and precise performance monitoring further highlight its labor-saving advantages. Touchscreen control and the broad weight range further contribute to ALPINE’s efficiency, ease of use and consistently high yield.

The project aims to make Somalia self-sufficient in broiler production and contribute to the development of the livestock sector. (Image source: TİKA)

Focused on reducing Somalia's reliance on imported chicken meat, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) recently launched the 'Breeding Broiler Production Project' in the region

The project aims to make Somalia self-sufficient in broiler production and contribute to the development of the livestock sector. Launched in 2020 through a collaboration between TİKA and Zamzam University’s Anatolian Faculty of Agriculture, a poultry house and hatchery facility were constructed within the faculty.

Building on this initiative, a Feed Production Centre was established in 2023 at City University’s Faculty of Agriculture in the capital, Mogadishu. The 'Breeding Broiler Production Project' was implemented as part of the next phase to reduce Somalia’s reliance on imported chicken meat. 

Stages of the project

First, a total of 5,900 mother and father line eggs of Anadolu-T, Türkiye’s domestic broiler breed, are brought from Türkiye and incubated at the faculty’s facility. After being thoroughly inspected by Turkish experts, the hatched chicks are then transferred to breeder poultry houses for further growth and care.

Additionally, a training programme was organised for the students and lecturers of the Faculty of Agriculture, providing a detailed explanation of the stages of chicken production.