Modern Poultry Farming and Production Methods in Kuwait

If you want to stay up to date on the latest developments in the poultry and egg production industry, all you have to do is turn to the leading expert in this vital industry in the Arab region in general and Kuwait in particular: agricultural engineer Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Fraih. He has been involved in this industry since completing his academic studies in food industries in the United States in 1971. Since then, he has contributed to the establishment and management of the largest broiler and egg production company in the region, namely the United Poultry Company in the Shagaya area on Salmi Road, not to mention his contribution to the establishment of approximately 20 major farms for white meat poultry and fresh eggs in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf region. He specializes in providing supplies for modern poultry projects, ranging from incubators to marketing packaging, including slaughterhouses, coops, and ventilation systems “Al-Anbaa” met with Gulf poultry expert Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Fraih at the Burgan Agricultural Company office in the Al-Rai-Shuwaikh area and asked him about the latest developments in the poultry industry. He said: A few days ago, I returned from visiting the World Poultry Expo in the Netherlands, which was attended by the world’s leading poultry and egg production companies. Participants emphasized the importance of developing a new approach to broiler farming by raising birds in cages rather than the old-fashioned, sprawling, overcrowded floor-based systems (coops). - The new development and the modern, innovative, and future-oriented trend in the poultry industry, as Al-Fraih explains, involves establishing new, large-scale projects for chicken production by raising them in cages rather than on the ground or in barns. This new cage-based rearing method offers numerous advantages over the traditional barn system, as it is a clean, vertical system that ensures better health and safety. It suffices to summarize these advantages by noting that we can raise 70,000 broiler chickens in vertical cages across four lines and four tiers along the length of the shed. This is compared to 20,000 chickens in a barn with an area equivalent to that of the shed where the cages are located. Al-Fraih listed the benefits of raising broiler chickens in cages rather than on the floor, noting that it saves space and provides us with the best quality of broiler chickens while reducing labor and disease and allowing for the conversion of feed into poultry meat. He added: Building a poultry house in a hot region like Kuwait is costly due to the materials used, such as insulation, cooling, and heating; the producer bears this cost per house. However, the number of chickens in cage systems exceeds the number in a conventional house by two to three times or more. On average, a broiler poultry house requires only two workers to monitor the flock and reduce mortality when using cage systems, which results in lower production costs. In my experience, the mortality rate in Kuwait ranges from 5% to 20%, while the global average is typically no more than 3%. Therefore, investing in cages reduces disease, and since the poultry does not come into contact with manure on the floor, this further reduces disease. Experiments have proven that cage production yields the best feed-to-meat conversion rate. When comparing the costs of cages with those of floor-rearing, producers often try to stick with low-cost floor equipment; however, the numbers show that investing in cages reduces production costs in the long run and yields higher profits. While the number of cycles in floor-based rearing ranges from 5 to 6 cycles per year, depending on weight and local market demand, cage systems can achieve up to 97 cycles per year based on management practices and quality. With cage systems, cleaning and disinfection are fully completed in a very short time compared to floor-based systems. Manure is removed daily from the house via conveyor belts, similar to laying hen cages, so there are no ammonia issues inside the modern house. The poultry is also transported via the manure conveyor belt out of the house and directly into the cages on transport vehicles. This reduces the number of workers required and ensures that the poultry remains unharmed, arriving in a healthy and sound condition in the shortest possible time. Choosing a Company: When selecting a company, you should visit its headquarters and review similar projects that have been operating for more than five years to benefit from their experience and to ensure you obtain the best equipment. Avoid newly established companies or ordering new poultry farming kits online. Al-Fraih recommends following the modern cage-based poultry farming system in Kuwait, especially since the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources in Kuwait is in the process of distributing 100,500 vouchers for modern poultry farming in the remote Al-Shagaya region, which is considered the best area for poultry farming and egg production in Kuwait due to its distance from the capital or populated areas, andevidence that the poultry company operating in this border region did not have its poultry infected with avian influenza when the disease struck poultry farms in Abdali, Wafra, and other areas about a decade ago. Al-Fraih noted the importance of distributing the new broiler chicken farming vouchers in the Shagaya region as soon as possible, so that Kuwait can increase its chicken meat production from 30% to 70% in the near future, provided that the new poultry plots are distributed to Kuwaiti companies and those capable of building or establishing a poultry farming project on the plot granted to them, which spans 50,000 square meters and has a production capacity of ten million birds annually. It has been scientifically and practically proven that large-scale projects with a production capacity of no less than ten million broiler chickens annually are successful and economically viable. The Agriculture Authority must require a financial guarantee, a work plan, and an economic feasibility study from every new applicant for a plot, and most importantly, the Agriculture Authority must continuously monitor their operations to ensure high-quality and safe production. As for Kuwait’s egg production, Al-Fraih states, “We are self-sufficient in egg production; in fact, we sometimes export quantities of Kuwaiti eggs to neighboring countries. We have frequently exported to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, and even Iran, as good health for people of all ages requires them to eat eggs from time to time.” Al-Fraih concluded his remarks to “Al-Anbaa” by reassuring consumers about poultry raised in Kuwait, saying: “I know that consumers have health concerns regarding our ability to produce chickens fit for consumption after only 30 days of rearing, and I would like to assure consumers that advances in poultry genetics—resulting from crossbreeding with superior breeds—have enabled us to achieve high-quality, rapid production of broiler chickens. In 1950, the average egg production per hen was approximately 150 eggs per year; Now we get about 350 eggs per hen annually, and we will reach 500 eggs per year in the future. Science is constantly evolving, and we must always keep pace with these advancements. The reason, as I mentioned earlier, is the crossbreeding of selected global poultry breeds, and this is the secret behind our production of broiler chickens suitable for human consumption after just one month—and this has nothing to do with the use of hormones or medications. He also noted that feed quality has improved through the use of nutritionally complete, concentrated feed for chickens, rather than outdated, random feeds that are unrelated to the concentrated feed appropriate for the specific breed and age of the chickens. All of this has a positive impact on the chickens’ productivity and growth rate, not to mention the healthy environment inside modern poultry houses, which are clean, sanitized, and disease-free.