Page 13 - AWA Vol.41-No.2

POULTRY

degraded materials increases the risk
of workplace injuries. New York’s Westwind Farms chooses Royal
DURA-FLAT Poultry Egg Flats address
these issues by offering a material that Pas Reform for its latest expansion project
is:
• Rot- and mold-resistant: Preventing estwind Poultry Farms LLC has
the conditions that attract pests. Winvested in Pas Reform equip-
ment to upgrade the operation and
• Lightweight and ergonomic: Reduc-
ing the risk of worker injuries during performance of its hatchery at Ovid,
handling. New York. Installation of three addi-
• Non-toxic and easy to clean: Creat- tional SmartSetPro™ NF8 hatchers –
ing a safer environment for both work- adding to the nine already in place
ers and eggs. – has provided enough hatcher ca-
By fostering a healthier workplace, pacity to eliminate the need to imme-
DURA-FLAT contributes to overall diately clean and transfer eggs back
sustainability, as fewer resources are into the machines. This has improved vide customers with options when it
needed to manage pests, clean mate- both efficiency and biosecurity, while
rials, and address workplace hazards. maintaining total production capacity comes to their brown layer needs by
5. Lower carbon emissions at 10.4 million pullets annually. providing both birds.
Transportation is a significant con- Westwind Farms was founded in
tributor to greenhouse gas emissions Westwind’s Ovid facility was built in 1995, but it’s owners have a much
in hatchery operations. Heavy materi- 2020, realizing a plan to both double longer history in the egg industry. It
als require more fuel to transport, in- production from 2016 levels and at can trace its origins back to the Clock
creasing costs and environmental im- the same time separate the compa- and DeCloux families. In 1962, Bob
pact. ny’s setting and hatching processes DeCloux and Bob Clock established
DURA-FLAT Poultry Egg Flats are across two sites, which Westwind re- a business – initially as a provider of
lightweight, making them cheaper fers to as the ‘settery’ and ‘hatchery’. pullets, before later starting to hatch
and more energy-efficient to ship. Ad- Incubation takes place at its original chicks. In 1995 Peter DeCloux and
ditionally, their improved stackability facility in Interlaken, NY, and then the
means hatcheries can transport more eggs are moved to Ovid at 16 days for his wife Joel formed Westwind Farms
flats in a single trip, further reducing from parts of Clock and DeCloux. It
emissions. hatching. The new hatchery was de- was founded as an alternative pro-
signed to maximize biosecurity with
The long-lasting nature of DURA-FLAT duction farm, focused on cage-free
also means fewer resources are need- the construction of multiple hatch eggs and the company partnered
ed for manufacturing and shipping re- rooms. with Euribrid Inc., with the goal of re-
placements, lowering the overall car- Westwind is owned and run by the introducing the Hisex genetic prod-
bon footprint of hatchery operations. DeCloux family. It transitioned to all ucts into North America.
Driving sustainable success with cage-free, and antibiotic free produc- When Hendrix Genetics purchased
DURA-FLAT tion in 1997 and this is a practice it ISA in 2005 it was the start of a busi-
Sustainability is a necessity for busi- continues today. Its business model ness relationship with Westwind and
nesses that want to thrive in the mod- focuses on Brown commercial layer
ern marketplace. Hatcheries that adopt they are still partners today. At that
eco-friendly practices not only meet production and distribution and pro- time, Westwind began hatching par-
consumer expectations but also posi- vides them with a strong proposition ent and grandparent stock for Hen-
tion themselves for long-term success. in the alternative markets – particu- drix Genetics. In 2014, the company
DURA-FLAT Poultry Egg Flats are a larly cage-free and organic. expanded with the addition of Peter’s
prime example of how smartly de- As distributors for Hendrix Genet- daughter Kelsey, and son Dennis. The
signed products can drive sustain- ics, Westwind has spent the last sev- following year, Westwind expanded
ability. From reducing waste and con- eral years distributing the Bovans their hatchery capacity from 2.3 mil-
tamination to lowering emissions and Brown layer. Peter DeCloux, one of lion to 4.6 million pullet chicks and
improving resource efficiency, these
egg flats offer a comprehensive solu- the company’s founders says: “We then increased again to 5.6 million
tion for hatcheries looking to minimize have been in the chick-hatching busi- pullet chicks in 2016.
their environmental impact. ness all of our lives. We find them to Ken Long, Sales Director for Pas Re-
A greener future starts today be a robust bird that works very well form USA, comments: “We would like
Switching to sustainable practices in a cage-free, organic system where to thank the DeCloux family for our
doesn’t have to be complicated or the birds have outdoor access.” continued relationship and the con-
expensive. With products like DURA- Westwind is also currently reintro- fidence they have shown in Pas Re-
FLAT, hatcheries can take meaningful ducing the ISA brown. They are no form by choosing us to supply their
steps toward reducing their environ- strangers to the ISA brown, having incubation equipment needs. We
mental footprint while enjoying opera-
tional benefits like durability, efficien- distributed this bird for 17 years be- wish Westwind Poultry Farms and the
cy, and hygiene. fore introducing the Bovans. Mr De- DeCloux family many more years of
Cloux says the company wants to pro- growth and success.” Circle 15 on enquiry card
Circle 14 on enquiry card
Vol. 41 No. 2 11