Poultry breeders challenged by a changing market

摘要

One recent - and continuing - trend is that demand dictates breeding goals. It is often easier to change the performance profile of the animal than to argue with consumers. The poultry industry around the world has changed more during the past 50 years than any other sector of animal agriculture. Total consumption of poultry meat and eggs has increased dramatically during the past five decades and continues to increase ahead of human population growth. The relative success of the global poultry industry can be attributed to several factors: technical innovations and the substitution of hand labour by capital supported the development from small back-yard flocks for local demand to large scale production for food chains supplying urban consumers; controlled environment: closed houses with optimised temperature and lighting programs to facilitate year-round production; reduced risk of mortality and/or depressed performance: all-in, all-out management, prophylactic vaccination and improved general hygiene; better nutrition: balanced feed formulation according to the specific needs of each flock: and, last but not least; improved genetic potential for growth rate in meat-type poultry and eggs in egg-type chickens.