FLOCKMAN
Advanced Poultry Technology

Care and Welfare of Poultry by FLOCKMAN

FLOCKMAN is a computer-based system that maintains optimal climatic conditions and nutrition control to enable poultry farmers to improve the health and welfare of intensively housed table chicken and turkeys.

Not all chicken and turkeys in this country can be kept on Free Range, as only a fairly small proportion of the human population is prepared to pay the higher prices associated with Free Range production. FLOCKMAN uses modern technology to enable many of the traditional and highly beneficial practices of the past to be adopted by the majority of the UK poultry meat production industry.

What does it do?

It provides air conditioning to high standards, by the automatic control of house temperature, humidity and ventilation, 24 hours a day.
It weighs the correct quantity of feed out daily so that the birds are neither over nor under fed.
Automatic perch weighers are provided so that a check is kept to see that the birds grow at a steady rate and do not become over fat and obese.
It calculates, mixes and delivers the ideal feed needed each day in response to how the birds are doing.
It reduces the normally fed excesses of protein in the feed so that the birds excrete less nitrogen. This in turn reduces poultry smells and the amount of moisture in the floor litter on which the birds are housed. It does this by feeding the birds a different feed formula each day, which is automatically calculated dependent on the status of the birds.
It controls daily patterns of light and dark, with dawn and dusk periods in between.
When birds wake up, they are automatically fed the exact quantity and quality of feed they need to maintain their health and fitness. It monitors water as well as feed, checks on variability of bird weights and gives early warning of disease and other problems so that the manager can take swift remedial action.

What are the benefits to the birds?

The pattern of feeding and the use of a proportion of whole cereals in their feed (as was the case before intensive poultry keeping started), stimulates the birds to develop their crops and gizzards. The crop is the bird's natural storage organ for feed until it is digested. The gizzard's purpose is to grind down hard particles of feed. Prior to FLOCKMAN, both the crop and the gizzard were virtually redundant in intensive poultry production. We believe that their resurrection stimulates the secretion of important digestive juices and also has important effects on the birds' natural immune defense system, so enabling them to become healthier and more resistant to disease.

We have proven statistically that FLOCKMAN can reduce mortality by 25-35% by improving bird fitness.

Better digestion means less excretion of waste products onto the litter. This improves litter quality with more litter scratching and dust bathing taking place. Strength and weight of the legs (drumsticks) is significantly increased. The birds look healthier with cleaner feathers, brighter eyes and redder combs and wattles.

What are the benefits to the Consumer?

Reassurance that this new technology enables farmers to adopt traditional feeding and management techniques that until now were not possible in modern large poultry houses.

Knowledge that with FLOCKMAN, the care and welfare of the birds are of top priority. The major improvements in litter quality, the better atmosphere and the regular dark periods for resting and sleeping encourage the fitter birds to be more active in running, perching, flapping their wings, dust bathing and performing all their natural functions and behavioral patterns.

Meat quality is enhanced by the fitter birds being less fat and more lean.

What are the benefits to Poultry Farmers?

They can cater for the birds nutritional, environmental and welfare needs much better.
FLOCKMAN reduces the quantity of feed fed, so avoiding over fed, obese and lethargic birds.
Reduces feed cost, by using a proportion of cheaper home grown whole cereals.
Gives daily management information to enable him to care for the birds better.
Enables farmers to produce quality poultry meat whilst cutting production costs.