Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Veterinary Medicine
• Agricultural Economics

Background:

• On-farm hatching is an emerging broiler production method.
• It is associated with improved animal welfare and gut development.
• Previous research has not quantified antimicrobial use differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare antimicrobial use (AMU) in on-farm hatched versus traditionally hatched broiler flocks.
• To quantify the impact of on-farm hatching on treatment incidence and antimicrobial application.

Main Methods:

• Data on AMU were collected from 211 Belgian conventional broiler farms.
• The study included 2244 traditionally hatched flocks and 227 on-farm (NestBorn) hatched flocks.
• Statistical analyses compared antimicrobial-free flock percentages and treatment incidence (TI).

Main Results:

• On-farm hatched flocks had significantly more antimicrobial-free populations (48.01% vs. 12.08%).
• On-farm hatched flocks showed a 44% lower treatment incidence (TI 8.40 vs. TI 15.13).
• Farms using traditional hatching had 5.6 times higher odds of antimicrobial use.

Conclusions:

• On-farm hatching is a viable strategy for reducing antimicrobial use in conventional broiler production.
• This method decreases the need for treatments, particularly early in the production cycle.
• Further research may explore outbreak management in both hatching systems.