Former high school teacher Real Letourneau wants to teach the chicken industry a lesson.
Three years ago Letourneau didn’t own a bird. When he got into the poultry business people laughed at him, but not for long.
His first year in the business, Letourneau’s broiler operation produced the reserve grand champion at the Canadian Western Agribition. This year he switched to roaster birds and had the grand champion.
Now he’s focusing on breeder production.
“We’re hoping to blow them out of the water that way too,” said the cocky chicken farmer from Hepburn, Sask.
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“When I went into the poultry industry I didn’t want to match what everybody else is doing. I wanted to do better.”
He plans to one-up his fellow breeder producers with state-of-the-art technology. Letourneau has installed a $1.25 million breeder housing system that is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
The Vencomatic Veranda System will soon house 20,000 breeder hens and 2,000 cocks. It is built by a Dutch company that has sold about 50 of the units in 20 countries on the other side of the Atlantic.
Letourneau’s unit is a mid-sized model. Vencomatic also makes systems that will accommodate 10,000 or 30,000 breeder hens.
System with a difference
While breeders traditionally use a single-level floor system, the Vencomatic consists of rows and rows of stacked cages.
Fresh air is delivered to each cage through a climate unit that can heat air in winter and cool it during summer.
The cage floor is a plastic grate that allows manure to pass through to an aerated manure belt from which it is removed once a week. Soft material is fused to the surface of the plastic floor to reduce the amount of damaged eggs and to prevent foot injuries.
Each cage is equipped with a separate nesting area where the hens lay their eggs. The nesting area is lined with a Vencomat, which is dotted with rubber nubs designed to delicately support the eggs.
Eggs laid in the nest or on the plastic grate roll onto a perforated egg conveyor belt that transports them to the front of the barn.
The belts run along each level of the multi-level system. An elevator transports the eggs from the lower levels to a belt at the top that takes them to a central collection point where they are sorted by hand.
A brochure about the Veranda System claims it has numerous advantages over traditional floor systems.
- It reduces ammonia levels by 85 percent.
- Delivers feed savings of between seven and 12 percent.
- Prevents illness and contamination.
- Reduces workload.
- Lowers bird mortality.
- Lowers concentration of manure.
- Produces no floor eggs.
- Lowers the cost of producing hatching eggs.
Vencomatic Equipment of Canada Inc. general manager David Thompson sums it up like this: “We’re able to offset the initial capital cost by higher productivity, reduced feed and reduced labor.”
He said the net return is 30 percent higher than what it would be with the same number of birds in a traditional floor system.
Cor Kapteyn, vice-chair of the Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Marketing Agency, thinks that’s a bit of a stretch.
He knows of two other producers in Canada who have purchased different types of caged systems and said the jury is still out on whether there is a benefit to putting the birds in cages.
The Ontario hatching egg producer said there is a place for caged housing systems, especially where the land base is limited or where ammonia levels or manure storage and disposal are major concerns.
“I am not yet convinced that there is a real need for it in North America.”
One of the drawbacks of the caged system is that it could raise the ire of animal welfare groups, despite features like fresh air pumped into each cage and a manure removal system.
“Even though it’s an enriched system, it’s still in cages. I sometimes wonder if we’re going to draw more criticism on our industry than we presently have,” said Kapteyn.
He also wonders if managing birds in cages is easier than managing a flock on the floor. Instead of one big operation it becomes a multitude of mini-flocks.
But Letourneau expects the labor savings to be substantial and said there are other, less tangible benefits.
“It’s a much better working environment for ourselves. It was very important to us that our children want to stay here. I don’t want them to begrudge having to go and work out in the barn on Saturday morning if we have to do chores. I want them to enjoy being here.”
It took about four months to build the system from scratch with the help of local contractor Zak Building Supplies. The dirt was turned on Aug. 4 and the Vencomatic system was fully functional by Dec. 1.
“Everything fit – every bolt, every nut, every screw. And we had the right amounts. Everything fit. The quality was just amazing. We didn’t have to guess, we knew,” said the owner of CR Chick Inn.
Letourneau received some business incentives for being the first producer to install a Veranda System in the Western Hemisphere. He also received impeccable service.
Vencomatic sent engineers to his farm three times to go over the construction plans. A service technician will be coming out six times in the next six months to make sure everything is satisfactory.
The company is also providing a nutritionist to work with Letourneau’s local adviser to make sure feed rations are appropriate for the Veranda System.
Letourneau will be stocking the cages with 19-week-old birds in about one week’s time.
