Hotraco Agri
Hotraco Horti
Mooij Agro
Tulderhof
Hotraco Group
Control systems for cage-free layer houses
From feeding and drinking, to burning calories and laying eggs. Laying hens behave differently in many ways when they are out of the cage. This means that egg producers need to set up their processes differently in order to achieve optimal results. Here we share lessons learned from more than 20 years of experience in controlling and automating cage-free layer houses and in optimizing egg production.
Ready to switch to cage-free layer housing without losing control?
We explain how you, as a cage-free egg producer, can:
1. Manage your layers’ daily routine using feed, water, light and nest control
2. Control feed, water, lighting, nests, climate, weighing and egg counting with one single control system
3. Optimize egg production and egg flow control in cage-free houses
‘’Send your layers to the right floor by smart feeding and watering, use feeding chains in multiple groups.’’
How to influence your chickens’ behavior by controlling feed, water, lighting and nests
If you want to maximize laying performance in cage-free houses you need to influence the daily routines of layers. Control systems, such as our Fortica® system, enable you as an egg producer to train your layers through smart feeding, watering and lighting regimes. With the Fortica® system, you can control nests and feed chains in multiple groups. This is particularly useful for sending the layers to the right floor and getting them back into the systems on time in cage-free houses.
You can influence the behavior of your chickens even more precisely if you also use linked light timers. By dimming different lights in a certain order, the chickens are sent to the right place in the system. In this way, the layers are influenced to go to the right floor and the right nest. At exactly the right time.
“One system to control and automate feed, water, nests, lighting, climate, weighing and egg flow.”
Fortica®: all-in-one control system for cage-free layer houses
You want your laying hens to perform optimally. For that, it is of utmost importance that you create the optimal living conditions for your animals. With the Fortica® control system you can monitor, control and automate all your layer house processes, such as climate, feed, water, lighting, egg flow and animal weighing.
For example, it gives you insight into body weight, indication of animal health, flock uniformity and it allows you to optimize planning and improve results through management data. With the app and the innovative Farm Management software, you are always aware of what is happening in your layer houses. And you can act within seconds, from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Fortica® helps you create the optimal living environment, resulting in healthier animals, better animal performance, less use of medication and therefore better results and profits.
Read more about Fortica“Direct your layers to the right place by using linked light timers for separate nest groups.”
Optimizing egg production with Egg Flow Control
Hotraco’s Egg Flow Control is unique system that saves productions costs by providing a smooth, continuous egg flow from the layer house to the packing point. The egg flow rarely needs to stop, leading to reduce shell damage and less collection time. Thanks to the continuous exchange of information, you can react faster to changing conditions in the layer house. This system can regulates different variations. You can run the Egg Flow Control system by gathering all layer houses simultaneously or in batches or per barn.
Want to learn more about how to influence the behavior of layers in cage-free houses?
Feel free to contact one of our cage-free specialists
The new EggXact egg counters
In 2021, Hotraco developed EggXact; an egg counter with a new shape and communication system for extreme reliability and durability. With EggXact egg counters you always have real-time insight into the egg production of your layers per belt. Per day, per hour, and per minute. Thanks to the real-time and continuous exchange of information, egg producers can react faster to changing conditions in the house and regulate the egg flow more quickly. Read more about how we radically improved egg counting in 7 ways with EggXact on our website.
Discover EggXact egg counter
About Hotraco Agri – specialist in cage-free layer house control
Cage-free has been the industry standard in Europe for many years. As a Dutch company, Hotraco Agri has been a global leader in poultry house automation for decades and has more than 20 years of experience in optimizing performance in cage-free laying houses.
Read more about Hotraco Agri
