Technology Transfer Award
18 Companies entered this competition. Some were very large and well known internationally. Each had to submit (in under 300 words!), why they should win the Award. The FLOCKMAN submission was as follows:
FLOCKMAN is a unique computer based management control system for the Poultry meat industry that is improving feed efficiency, meat quality, bird welfare and profitability.
The British equipment incorporates automatic bird weighers to assess growth. A feed weigher/mixer, delivers the correct quantities of feed of the correct daily composition. Controls operate feeders, lights and dawn/dusk dimmers inside the poultry house.
FLOCKMAN also controls fans, air inlets, heaters and humidifiers to control temperature and air quality. Three specially designed joint temperature/humidity sensors enable a very stable environment to be maintained.
FLOCKMAN applies fundamental R & D information at the individual poultry house level, gleaned from many scientific disciplines.
a) Genetic: Growth curves for various strains and sexes can be incorporated and nominated so as to meet different integrator's target weights for age and carcass specifications.
b) Animal Modelling and Nutrition: Nutrient intake profiles are calculated by the computer, so specifying the correct daily intakes of amino acids to be given to the birds.
c) Animal Physiology: FLOCKMAN allows sophisticated lighting, choice and precision feeding programs to be used so developing the birds' crops, gizzards and immune defence system, thereby improving nitrogen digestibility, absorption and general health.
d) Animal behaviour and Welfare: FLOCKMAN reduces stress on the birds and gives them a more interesting and varied life style by replacing ad lib feeding with meal-time feeding of specified quantities of appropriate feed at specified feeding times.
e) Husbandry and Management: FLOCKMAN incorporates many advanced management techniques and practices which reduce mortality by 30 to 40% and virtually eliminate metabolic disorders such as Ascites, SDS and flip-overs.
f) Economics and Communication Technology: FLOCKMAN enables data transfer from farm to and from a central data base to enable integrators to make better day to day as well as long-term decisions, manage the business better and maximise their profitability