One-day chickens form an important part of the foods for zoos. Not only birds of prey, but also common cranes, otters, reptiles, felines, flamingos etc. consume one-day chickens on a large scale
On average one-day chickens account for 25 to 33% of the total amount of meat that is used in a zoo. In addition, one-day chickens are of vital importance for falconry. Hereby the quality of the chicken is also of decisive importance. This is why the greatest care is given to the entire production process.
In order to slaughter the chickens without unnecessary stress or pain, a recently developed technique is applied, which transports chickens to an area that is filled with at least 80% CO2. In this atmosphere it is impossible for animals to survive. Because the concentration CO2is so high, the animals are unconscious within 10 seconds at most and they die within 4 minutes. This is the only method that is permitted by the European government for processing chickens into animal food.
Every day and sometimes several times a day the chickens are collected at the poultry hatchery and transported to the destruction company in Putten. As soon as the chickens have arrived, they are cooled and dried in a separate room. After this, they are sorted and packed and then frozen within 24 hours at a temperature of -30 degrees Celsius. After the freezing process the boxs are stored in the refrigerated warehouse, ready for transport to the final destination.
In order to meet the regulations of the government, each step in the production process is laid down and registered. Each box is given a label, on which the important production data is stated, such as the veterinary number, the hatchery code and the production date. This process is part of the quality programme that has been especially developed for the production of animal food of animal origin. This programme is completely in line with the Integral Chain Management programme IKB Kip.
