Tasmania's newest chicken champs

Tasmanian poultry growers have dominated the Aviagen Broiler Club Australian awards.

Having been in hiatus since the start of the pandemic, the Broiler Club was recently resurrected and recognised the top achievers in the commercial poultry industry across a wide range of markers from growth and feed con sumed to living conditions and kill weights.

Businesses were invited to submit their flock data for comparison to identify the top five per cent of growers in the country, with the results picking up on those who consistently achieve top performance with the Ross bird.

Based on a rolling, consecutive three-batch average, Nichols Poultry took out first and second place in the scoring in the Conventional section and Inghams captured third place in the free-range section.

Aviagen Technical Services Manager ANZ Debbie Fisher said it’s a fantastic achievement and one that deserves to be recognised.

“There are a lot of elements that come into play, and it’s really a way to compare hundreds of poultry farms around the country no matter how big or small.”

Nichols Poultry is owned by Tas foods and Nathan and Janine Richard son are contract growers at Brookfield, Thirlstane.

Nathan said it was exciting to find out they had taken out first place in the club awards and that Tasmania made up half of the six placegetters.

“We’ve been growing chickens for 16 years, and I describe the bird like tuning a formula one race car, every little thing matters, and this award backs up what we know we are achieving with good animal husbandry practices,” Mr Richardson said.

“We process half a million chickens per year and it’s a real team effort.

“We make sure everything’s right, it’s a good environment for growing birds, and people should have confidence to eat our product knowing it’s cared for and reared in the best possible way.”

Aviagen is a global commercial poultry research and supply company, selling broiler breeds as day-old chicks to the Asia Pacific, Europe, Russia, India, Latin America, North America, Turkey, the Middle East and Africa as well as Australia and New Zealand.

In May it welcomed 75 customers from across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to its bi-annual customer sem inar in Christchurch, New Zealand.