“Eggs of today” across Mexico

With a projected annual production of 2.4 million tonnes in 2010, Mexico has become a major producer of table eggs on the world market.

Empresas Guadalupe strongly contributes to that output. Throughout the country they keep 8 million layers, mainly producing for the domestic market. Rearing, egg packing and distribution, feed manufacturing, they have it all in their own hands. They even produce packing materials (egg cartons and boxes) by themselves. This makes Empresas Guadalupe a major player in Mexico.

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World Poultry editor Ad Bal visited Empresas Guadalupe in Mexico and compiled this photo report.

Photo

A rearing facility is located nearby the city of Guadalajara in Jalisco state. Here pullets are reared in two stages. From 0-6 weeks they are kept in houses with curtain ventilation. In this way, warmth can be kept inside the house.
During the first stage, the chicks are kept in groups of up to 95 birds in flat deck battery cages which are built by local supplier De Anda.
Empresas Guadalupe have dedicated staff who permanently monitor and take care of the pullets.
The houses for the second stage of rearing are located at the same premises, just opposite of the houses for the first stage.
The second stage of rearing is from six to sixteen weeks. During that period the pullets are kept in two tier battery cages.
Thanks to the mild climate in the Guadalajara area, the birds are kept in open sided houses during the second stage of rearing.
A layer facility for 400,000 birds is located near to the rearing facilities. Here the layers are kept in three different types of houses.
Some of the houses are equipped with traditional type of cages, again supplied by De Anda. Feeding and egg collecting are done manually. All birds at Empresas Guadalupe are Hy-Line white layers.
Packing is done directly in the houses in which there is no automated egg collection system.
Thanks to its large size, Empresas Guadalupe manufacture their own compound feed.
Wire netting is used in between the houses to prevent wild birds from entering the houses. It is an effective bio security measure.
The newest house was built only two years ago. It is constructed at a height of two meters, enabling manure to fall underneath. A tunnel through which the egg collection belt is running, connects the poultry house and the packing station.
About 100,000 layers are kept in four tier pyramid cage batteries, also supplied by De Anda.
Feeding is done fully automatically in the newest house.
The central egg collection belt is taking the eggs to the grading and packing station that is located next to the house.
Since the modern house is built at a height of about 2 metres, manure that is falling underneath will dry easily, thanks to the Mexican climate. Small loader vehicles have easy access to remove the manure.
Grading and packing is a daily routine at Empresas Guadalupe They manufacture their own egg cartons and boxes.
Eggs are packed in distributed in boxes of 360 eggs under their own “Huevo Guadalupe” brand name, as well as four more brands.