By Matt Donald, pig & poultry producer, north Yorkshire
Some warmer weather has been welcomed in March, good for chicken growing and good for the crops. Feed price being a bit of a concern going forwards as volatility due to global conflict starts to impact on markets – surely it is another reason to focus on food security. We all know this government are happy to import cheap to keep the price down, however with shipping movements in turmoil, imports cannot be the golden bullet to keeping supermarket shelves full.
Not only food, but energy security has come to the forefront for the second time in five years. Another reason we need investment in the grid infrastructure to support further renewable energy, but for true self sufficiency we also probably need to drill the North Sea-it’s only the same as importing oil after all.
On farm the warm weather has seen an improvement in litter quality, our older site has struggled over Winter without a lot of top up shaving bales. Partly due to the older ventilation system and them arriving in January, along with the fact it hardly stopped raining until the end of February. Nobody wants capped litter and on a breeder farm, capped litter that is damp can effect the feet of the males, which in turn can lead to a lower fertility. Top up bales have managed the situation, but it is an added expense we don’t usually have.
We have now completed the installation of bird weighers across the sites, we can only monitor pullets through these due to males not liking perching and the weight difference in the male. They are better for both bird and staff welfare and give us an accurate daily monitoring of body weight. On top of this the automation also saves time across the sites.