A pioneer in the Indian poultry market: that’s the best way to describe Life Line Feeds. 20 years ago, they invested in floor housing for their broiler breeders at a time when cages were still the norm in India. Soon, they will also be the first to install climate regulation (AC) in their houses. And this year they gave a resounding “yes” to Natural Beak Smoothing: the ultimate alternative to mechanical hot blade debeaking. Roxell‘s Natural Beak Smoothing has been proven to drastically reduce stress and risk of infection in broiler breeders. And Life Line Feeds was eager to test out these benefits.

Why did you choose Roxell’s Natural Beak Smoothing?

Roxell’s Natural Beak Smoothing fits perfectly with the philosophy of Life Line Feeds’ Managing Director, Kishore Kumar. For Kishore Kumar, animal welfare is a top priority. In recent years, Life Line Feeds have made strategic investments in solutions that will reduce stress in the animals. The poultry company learned about Roxell’s solution for Natural Beak Smoothing during the 2017 VIV Asia trade show. They quickly made plans to test out Roxell’s solution.

How was the Natural Beak Smoothing test set up?

Life Line Feeds chose to test the solution in 5 houses for rearing and production. The test houses with hens and cockerels were divided into different zones. First, they installed Roxell feeder pans with Natural Beak Smoothing in cordoned off zones. This bottom pan has a rough metal structure. When the chickens eat, their beaks rub against the bottom of the pan and this gradually trims the beaks. The process is painless and greatly benefits the health of the broiler breeders.

They placed chicks that had been debeaked using the mechanical hot blade method in other zones, so they would be able to compare the differences within the flock. Finally, they also set up zones for chicks that had not undergone beak treatments and would eat from feeder pans without Natural Beak Smoothing.

What were the results of the test?

The chickens in the test houses with Natural Beak Smoothing are now 17 weeks old. Life Line Feeds came to the following conclusions:

Why did Life Line Feeds opt for the Vitoo, KiXoo and Boozzter feeder pans?

Precision feeding is essential for ensuring that broiler breeders are raised uniformly and healthily. All the birds need to be given an equal opportunity to feed. Roxell’s feeder pan systems for broiler breeders provide quick and even feed distribution. In addition, the design of the pan prevents feed waste through the use of an inner and outer pan. It’s clear that less feed is required to achieve the desired weight. Life Line Feeds also observes that an automatic pan feeding system reduces the amount of manpower needed. All in all, Roxell’s pan feeding systems result in significant daily savings.

How was the collaboration with Roxell?

The transition from manual feeding and watering to an automatic system required quite a few adjustments. But Roxell provided us with excellent support and we now feel very comfortable using the Roxell systems. We know we can count on good after-sales service and the Roxell team in India is always ready to support us on the phone. We are very pleased with the partnership between Roxell and Life Line Feeds.

About Life Line Feeds

The company is a fully integrated poultry processing company, established in 1986 in Chickmagaluru in the southwest of India. Life Line Feeds has 8 rearing houses and 40 production houses for a yearly total of 170,000 broiler breeders. They sell 55% of their broilers under the brand name “Life Line’s Tender Chicken”. In 2010, they began using Roxell’s pan feeding, transport and community nest systems. Their most recent acquisition is the Natural Beak Smoothing solution for their broiler breeders.

Source: http://www.roxell.com