During May 21-24, 57 Ross^® 308 customers from throughout Sub-Saharan Africa came together in Lusaka, Zambia, for the Ross Africa, and Pas Reform Hatchery Management School. Ross Africa is the distributor of Ross® Parent Stock for Sub-Saharan Africa. The School’s purpose was to explore the most effective techniques for getting the best incubation and hatchery results.

Organized jointly by Ross Africa and hatchery solution provider Pas Reform with support and expertise from Aviagen^®, the training successfully blended classroom presentations with practical, hands-on learning at the new Ross Africa Chainda Hatchery in Lusaka. Classroom theory underscored how to achieve quality from the breeder farm to the hatchery, and to best meet the needs of the developing embryo during incubation. The practice at the hatchery allowed students to identify common challenges and work together to find solutions for optimal hatchery performance. Some topics included:

• Egg quality, embryology and fertility
• Measuring egg shell temperature
• Setter and hatcher
• Ideal moment of pulling and climate graphs
• Chick quality and Pasgar scoring
• Hatch residue analysis

One course highlight was a case study where students were presented with a realistic hatchery issue and were able to collaborate in a group setting to present an analysis and solution.

All sessions were led by top Ross, Pas Reform and industry experts in hatchery and incubation management.

“Customers are getting excellent performance from the Ross 308 breeder across the Turkey, Middle East and Africa region, and their dedication is boosting the popularity of Ross birds. The training in Zambia was intended to further promote their success by sharing the latest advice on hatchery topics to achieve the highest chick quality and performance,” explained Robert Haggarty, Ross TMEA senior technical manager. “Another goal was to give our customers an opportunity to learn from one another while exchanging knowledge and experiences. We also had the chance to listen to their feedback on how we can offer them the highest level of service. I look forward to future opportunities to meeting with our valued customers, as together we explore innovative techniques for improving the health, welfare and performance of Ross 308 chicks.”

Colin Lindsay, general manager, Ross Breeders Zambia Ltd., expressed his appreciation for the effort of all teams involved. “We’d like to thank the Ross MEA team and Pas Reform for their hard work and knowledge that helped make our Hatchery Management School a success. We look forward to future Schools and other forums that enable our customers to collaborate on getting optimum performance, health and welfare from their Ross 308 broilers and breeders.”