Broiler thinning involves performing a partial depopulation of the flock approximately one week prior (@ ~35 days) to the end-stage processing date ( @~42 days). There are 2 economic benefits experienced: (1) Optimisation of kg of meat per sq.ft of floor space, (2) Reaching a wider customer base by diversifying the product.
It’s a creative response to dealing with regulatory constraints x heterogeneous customer base.
As you can probably tell, I like thinning. Or rather, I like the idea of where it comes from.
As an independent business professional, this kind of thinking stimulates me. It’s the kind of innovation that is readily witnessed amongst entrepreneurial circles and contrastingly, rarely glimpsed within corporate corridors.
As entrepreneurs, we have our back up against it often. Sure, we have all to gain if things go right, but unlike having a guaranteed salary safety net, entrepreneurs also have all to lose if things go wrong.
And that kind of pressure can often extend the ingenuity of mankind into unexpected realms of remarkable problem-solving. This is the beauty of entrepreneurship…leaving yourself without excuse, and therefore, “…you just gotta make a way!”
And it’s through this lens that I stare admirably at thinning (and such like practices) that “make the most of what you do have” and find a way around the obstacle.
Here are two common problems facing broiler farmers in today’s marketplace:
- Local authorities apply ‘hard stop’ legal limits on stocking density in broiler farming to promote animal welfare.
- Demand for carcass weight is variable – buyers prefer varying sizes of carcasses.
At the same time, your profit margins are constantly under pressure from rising feed costs, cheaper imports etc. (…and the list goes on…)
And so, what’s a broiler farmer supposed to do?
Fold?
Or, get inventive?
Enter thinning.
Using a tunnel-ventilated poultry house environment with cooling pads? You might have a maximum stocking density of, say, 42 kg/m² (8.6 lb/ft²).
Along with this, you have cost constraints and price ceiling that demands another 15-20% profitability out of your flocks.
Thinking bigger doesn’t actually solve your problem.
You’ve got to think smarter.
Segment your customer base & your broiler flocks.
Find demand for broilers grown only to 35 days old – say 25% of your flock.
And then, with the remaining 75% of your flock meet the demand of customers wanting 42-day-old/size broilers.
This way, by head count, you pack more birds into the same space, thus raising your $/sq. ft…
…but you don’t breach regulatory limits, nor impair animal welfare – yet overall you increase profit by 10-20%.
And all without having to increase your infrastructural footprint a single inch.
The beauty of thinning. The principle for winning.
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