Profit in a broiler enterprise as a function of egg production of parent stocks and growth rate of their progeny

Abstract

The object of this paper was to determine the dependence of broiler profits on the reproductive performance of parent stocks, and the efficiency of meat production by progeny. This information is essential to assess the economic merits of breeding stocks and to evaluate the relative efficiency of alternative breeding programmes. It was shown that for any particular market the number of hens in the hatchery supply flocks is determined by the ratio of demand (weight of broiler meat absorbed by the market) to reproductivity (weight of broiler meat produced by a single dam). Increased fecundity improves profitability through its effect on chick cost. An analysis of results of several random tests showed that food conversion has a high positive correlation with market age at a fixed market weight. It was also found that for a constant age there is a small negative correlation between food conversion and body weight. Various methods of profit evaluation were discussed and it was shown that evaluations of broiler performance at fixed market age or fixed market weight are highly correlated with maximum profit potential. It was concluded that either method is satisfactory provided that evaluation is at an age and weight that are sufficiently close to the average maximum profit potential. It was shown that net profit per unit weight of broiler meat may be expressed as a function of market age (G) and total number of eggs per hen in the hatchery supply flock (N): where C, K1 and K2 are constants. Using estimates of the three constants for conditions prevailing in Great Britain in 1963, the formula becomes: An important consequence of the reciprocal relationships between profit and reproductive performance is that the higher the initial reproductive level the smaller is the change in profit that results from a unit change in reproductive performance.