Aviagen® is committed to bird welfare and sustainability, and invests heavily to secure the supply of healthy breeding stock to our customers. The popularity of healthy, sustainable chicken meat in Central and Eastern Europe continues to grow, and more and more farmers have come to realize the benefits of Ross® Parent Stock (PS) breeding stock. As a result, Aviagen has added a new high-generation Grandparent (GP) laying farm in Győrsövényháza, Hungary, to its current fleet of 14 production and 5 rearing farms.
Watch a video tour of the new farm.
Securing supply to Hungary and beyond
The Győrsövényháza farm started with a trial operation in February 2022 and has been running successfully since then. With a total area of 1,425 square meters, it has a maximum capacity of 9,975 hens/females and 900 roosters/males.
The eggs produced at the Győrsövényháza farm are transported to the Aviagen Kft hatchery in Mezőörs, Hungary, where they are hatched and delivered as day-old chicks to growers in central and eastern Europe and central and western Asia.
Designed with welfare and sustainability in mind
Situated in northwestern Hungary, the new five-house facility is equipped with the very latest technology to maximize animal health and welfare, as well as economic and environmental sustainability. A matrix-style male feeder ensures feed is distributed evenly, reducing male aggression due to rivalry by allowing all birds to have a place at a feeder. Because of the small footprint of the male feeder in the poultry house, it also provides more room for all birds. A liftable chainfeeder provides the same benefit for hens, providing quick and equal feed distribution and also minimizing aggression due to feeding rivalry.
A central system for automated egg collection increases economic sustainability through better labor efficiency. Additionally, side and tunnel ventilation with a water-cooling system enhances bird welfare through better temperature and ventilation control. The new farm also includes a water treatment system with a reserve tank as a backup so water will always be available to the birds, even in the unlikely event of a system malfunction.
With the welfare and protection of the birds as a key priority, a utility corridor, which does not contain birds, enables repairs, thereby increasing biosecurity and mitigating risk to the birds.
Finally, the farm is equipped with energy-eficient LED lighting and sustainable solar panels.
Biosecurity promotes food security
For Aviagen, biosecurity is a major priority and is paramount to keeping harmful pathogens away from our birds and out of the food chain. A windowed area enables visitors to view and observe the birds without entering the house. Additionally, people and equipment can enter only after they have followed disinfection procedures.
“Our skilled and dedicated Aviagen Kft team is committed to the success of our Hungarian customers and works hard to strengthen their ability to supply their customers in eastern and central Europe and parts of Asia. Our new Győrsövényháza farm is part of an ongoing strategy to build and expand new state-of-the-art facilities to fulfil a growing demand for healthy, sustainable and affordable chicken meat in our region and beyond,” remarked Balázs Takács, general manager, Aviagen Kft.