Pradeep
Poultry Production Has to Be Planned Before the Customer Needs the Product
Poultry businesses cannot increase production overnight.
If a customer needs broilers next week, placing more chicks today will not solve the problem.
If customers need more day old chicks, the hatchery needs enough hatching eggs at the right time.
Those eggs depend on breeder production.
Broiler production depends on chick placement, farm capacity, feed availability and the growing cycle.
Layer egg availability depends on flock age, laying performance and current bird population.
This makes demand forecasting particularly important in poultry.
The business needs to understand what customers are likely to require and compare that demand with what farms, hatcheries and processing operations are expected to produce.
Poultry Demand Forecasting Software helps connect future customer demand with production planning, chick placement, egg requirements, hatchery planning, farm capacity and other operational requirements.
The purpose is not simply to create a sales forecast.
The real value comes when that forecast is converted into an operational poultry plan.
Why Demand Planning Is Difficult in Poultry
Demand can change quickly.
Production cannot.
That difference creates one of the biggest planning challenges for poultry companies.
A business may have demand from:
Distributors
Wholesalers
Retailers
Hotels and restaurants
Institutional customers
Processing plants
Internal companies
Contract customers
Direct customers
Different customers may require different products, quantities and delivery dates.
At the same time, production has biological limitations.
Birds need time to grow.
Breeders produce a limited number of eggs.
Hatchability varies.
Mortality affects available birds.
Farm capacity is limited.
Feed has to be available.
Processing plants have daily capacity limits.
A realistic demand plan therefore needs more than a sales forecast in Excel.
Demand Forecasting Should Start With What Customers Actually Buy
Historical sales can provide a useful starting point.
The business can review:
Product
Customer
Sales quantity
Order frequency
Season
Location
Delivery period
Sales channel
Historical growth
Past shortages
Past excess production
This helps identify recurring demand patterns.
But historical sales should not be the only input.
The forecast should also consider what the sales team knows about future demand.
Confirmed Customer Orders Should Be the Strongest Demand Signal
A forecast is an estimate.
A confirmed customer order is an actual requirement.
The planning process should clearly distinguish between the two.
For example, the business may have:
50,000 confirmed orders
20,000 expected repeat orders
10,000 additional forecast demand
The planning team should be able to see how much demand is confirmed and how much is forecast.
This helps management understand the level of certainty behind the production plan.
Sales Forecast and Customer Orders Should Work Together
A poultry business may receive firm orders only a few days before delivery, while production needs to be planned weeks or months earlier.
Waiting for confirmed orders may therefore be too late.
The sales team can prepare a forecast based on:
Existing customer commitments
Historical demand
Seasonality
Current enquiries
Expected contracts
Sales team input
Market conditions
Promotions
Management expectations
The forecast can then be updated as actual orders arrive.
This creates a rolling demand plan rather than a forecast prepared once and forgotten.
Demand Planning Should Be Product Specific
A total poultry demand number is not enough.
The business needs to know what customers are expected to buy.
Demand may need to be forecast separately for:
Day old chicks
Broilers
Live birds
Table eggs
Hatching eggs
Whole chicken
Fresh chicken
Frozen chicken
Breast
Wings
Legs
Other processed products
Feed
The planning logic for each product can be different.
For example, demand for day old chicks affects hatchery planning, while demand for processed chicken affects both broiler availability and processing requirements.
Poultry Demand Should Be Planned by Time Period
A monthly total can hide important shortages.
Suppose expected demand is 400,000 birds for a month.
That does not mean the business simply needs 400,000 birds sometime during that month.
Customers may require:
80,000 in week one
120,000 in week two
90,000 in week three
110,000 in week four
Production needs to be available in the correct week.
Depending on the operation, planning may therefore be done by:
Day
Week
Month
Production cycle
Delivery date
This makes the forecast more useful for operational planning.
Demand Should Be Compared with Expected Production
Creating a demand forecast is only the first step.
The next question is more important.
Can we produce enough to meet that demand?
The system should compare:
Confirmed orders
Forecast demand
Current inventory
Expected farm production
Expected hatchery output
Expected egg production
Expected processing output
Already committed quantities
Expected available quantity
This creates a demand versus supply view.
Demand Versus Supply Can Highlight Future Shortages
Suppose the business expects demand for 200,000 broilers in a particular week.
Expected farm availability is only 175,000 birds.
The business can see a potential shortage of 25,000 birds before the delivery week arrives.
Management now has time to review the situation.
Depending on the business and available lead time, the team may:
Review customer priorities
Adjust future placement
Review farm allocation
Use another farm
Change processing plans
Discuss delivery timing with customers
Review external sourcing if permitted
The important point is that the shortage becomes visible early.
Excess Production Should Also Be Visible
Demand forecasting is not only about preventing shortages.
Excess production can also create problems.
For live birds, keeping birds beyond the planned sale age may affect feed consumption, weight and production economics.
For eggs and processed products, excess stock can create storage and shelf-life challenges.
The system should therefore identify situations where expected production is significantly higher than demand.
This allows sales and operations teams to act before excess production becomes a larger problem.
Broiler Demand Should Drive Chick Placement Planning
Broiler production planning should work backwards from the required sale or processing date.
Suppose the business expects to require 100,000 saleable broilers in a future week.
The business cannot simply place 100,000 chicks and assume all of them will be available.
Planning may need to consider:
Expected mortality
Production cycle
Target age
Target body weight
Farm capacity
Placement date
Breed
Historical farm performance
The required chick placement can then be calculated based on the expected saleable population.
This is one of the most useful connections between demand forecasting and poultry farm planning.
Chick Placement Should Consider Expected Mortality
If the business needs a particular number of saleable birds, mortality needs to be considered in the placement plan.
For example, the required placement quantity may need to be higher than the final sales requirement.
The exact calculation depends on the expected mortality assumptions used by the business.
Using historical farm and breed performance can make this assumption more realistic.
As actual mortality is recorded during the cycle, the expected available quantity can also be revised.
Placement Planning Should Consider the Production Cycle
The required delivery date determines when birds need to be ready.
That determines when chicks need to be placed.
The planning process can work backwards from:
Required sales date
Expected processing date
Target bird age
Growing period
Placement date
This helps ensure that chick placement is aligned with future market requirements.
Farm Capacity Must Be Checked Before Confirming the Placement Plan
Knowing how many chicks need to be placed is not enough.
The business also needs somewhere to place them.
Farm capacity planning should consider:
Farm
House or shed
Farm area
Bird capacity
Current flock
Expected depletion date
Cleaning period
Downtime
Next available placement date
Biosecurity requirements
Production type
The system can then show whether sufficient capacity is available for the planned placement.
Farm Availability Is Different from Total Farm Capacity
A farm may have capacity for 100,000 birds.
That does not mean 100,000 spaces are available today.
Some houses may already contain birds.
Others may be under cleaning or preparation.
Some may be reserved for future placement.
The planning system should therefore consider available capacity by date rather than only total farm capacity.
This gives the planner a much more realistic view.
Farm Area Can Be Used in Capacity Planning
Depending on the poultry operation, farm capacity may also be linked with usable area and stocking standards.
The system can maintain relevant farm and house information and use it during placement planning.
This helps planners avoid relying only on manually maintained capacity sheets.
For businesses operating many farms, having a central capacity view can significantly improve planning.
Placement Calendar Gives Management a Forward View
A placement calendar can show future chick placements across farms.
The planner can review:
Placement date
Farm
House
Breed
Planned chicks
Expected depletion date
Next available date
Expected production period
This makes it easier to identify capacity conflicts before they happen.
Broiler Availability Forecast Should Change as the Batch Performs
The original production plan is based on assumptions.
Actual farm performance may be different.
For example:
Mortality may be higher than expected.
Growth may be slower.
Average body weight may be below target.
The expected saleable quantity should therefore be updated using actual farm information.
This gives the sales and operations teams a more realistic view of future bird availability.
Day Old Chick Demand Requires Hatchery Planning
For hatchery businesses, customer demand can be converted into a chick production requirement.
Suppose customers require 500,000-day old chicks in a future week.
The hatchery needs to determine how many eggs should be set to achieve the required chick output.
This depends on expected hatchability and other hatchery planning assumptions.
The planning process can therefore connect:
Customer demand
Required chicks
Expected hatchability
Egg setting requirement
Setter capacity
Hatcher capacity
Hatching egg availability
This creates a much stronger connection between sales and hatchery operations.
Hatchery Planning Should Work Backwards from Chick Delivery
The required chick delivery date determines the hatch date.
The hatch date determines when eggs need to be set.
The system can therefore work backwards from the customer requirement.
The planning chain becomes:
Customer delivery date
Required hatch date
Egg setting date
Egg requirement
Hatchery capacity
Breeder egg availability
This allows the hatchery team to see future requirements before setting eggs.
Hatchability Has a Direct Impact on Egg Requirement
If the business needs 100,000 saleable chicks, it will normally need to set more than 100,000 eggs.
The exact requirement depends on expected hatchability and other losses considered by the business.
If expected hatchability changes, the number of eggs required also changes.
This is why hatchery demand planning should use realistic performance assumptions rather than a fixed one to one calculation.
Breed and Flock Age Can Affect Hatchery Planning
Hatchability can vary by breeder flock, breed and age.
A more detailed planning process can use expected performance by flock or age group.
This helps the hatchery estimate chick output more accurately.
It can also help planners decide which breeder egg supply should support particular hatch requirements.
Setter Capacity Should Be Included in the Plan
Even if enough hatching eggs are available, the hatchery still has physical capacity limitations.
The planner needs to know:
Number of setters
Setter capacity
Available trays
Egg setting dates
Existing loads
Available future capacity
A demand plan that ignores setter capacity may create a requirement that the hatchery cannot physically handle.
Hatcher Capacity Also Matters
The same principle applies to hatchers.
Expected hatch dates should be compared with available hatcher capacity.
This becomes especially important when several large settings are planned close together.
Capacity planning helps avoid creating a hatch schedule that exceeds the equipment available.
Hatching Egg Requirement Should Connect with Breeder Production
The hatchery cannot set eggs that breeder farms are not expected to produce.
The required number of hatching eggs should therefore be compared with expected breeder egg production.
This creates another important planning connection.
Customer demand creates chick demand.
Chick demand creates hatchery demand.
Hatchery demand creates hatching egg demand.
Hatching egg demand needs to be supported by breeder production.
Breeder Egg Production Forecasting
Breeder farms can forecast expected hatching egg production based on relevant flock information.
Depending on the business process, this may include:
Bird population
Flock age
Production standard
Actual laying performance
Mortality
Egg classification
Historical performance
The expected hatching egg output can then be compared with hatchery requirements.
Egg Production Forecasting for Layer Farms
Layer businesses also need forward visibility into egg production.
A layer flock does not produce the same number of eggs throughout its life.
Production changes as the flock ages.
The business can forecast future egg production using information such as:
Current bird population
Flock age
Actual production
Expected production curve
Mortality
Historical performance
This provides an expected egg availability by future period.
Egg Demand Should Be Compared with Egg Production Forecast
The business can compare:
Current egg inventory
Expected egg production
Confirmed customer orders
Forecast demand
Committed stock
Expected available stock
This gives the sales team a better idea of what can be supplied in future weeks.
It can also highlight potential excess production.
Egg Grade and Size May Need Separate Forecasting
A total egg count may not be enough for some businesses.
Customers may require different egg grades or sizes.
If the business classifies eggs by size or quality, demand planning may need to consider the expected product mix.
This allows the sales plan to be compared with a more realistic view of saleable egg availability.
Processing Demand Should Be Connected with Live Bird Availability
For an integrated poultry processor, customer demand for finished products eventually creates a live bird requirement.
The processing team needs to know:
Customer orders
Forecast demand
Finished product stock
Product mix
Expected processing yield
Required live birds
Expected bird weight
Farm availability
Processing capacity
This creates a connection between market demand and farm production.
Product Mix Makes Processing Demand More Complex
A customer may not order a whole bird.
Customers may order:
Breast
Wings
Legs
Drumsticks
Thighs
Whole chicken
Other cuts
Producing one cut also creates other products from the same bird.
Demand planning therefore needs to consider expected processing yield and product mix.
If demand for one cut is unusually high, management needs to understand what that means for the rest of the production output.
Processing Capacity Should Be Checked Against Demand
Even if sufficient live birds are available, the processing plant may have capacity limitations.
Planning should consider:
Daily processing capacity
Shift capacity
Available production days
Maintenance schedule
Expected live bird supply
Customer delivery dates
The demand plan should therefore be realistic from both farm and processing perspectives.
Feed Requirement Can Be Calculated from the Production Plan
Once chick placements and bird populations are planned, the business can estimate future feed requirements.
This can be calculated by considering:
Number of birds
Age
Feed type
Expected feed consumption
Production cycle
Current feed inventory
Planned feed production
Open purchase orders
This gives procurement and feed mill teams more time to prepare.
Feed Mill Planning Can Follow Farm Demand
For businesses operating their own feed mill, the farm production plan can become an input for feed production planning.
The feed mill can see:
Expected farm demand
Feed type
Required quantity
Required date
Current feed stock
Raw material availability
Production capacity
This helps align feed production with future farm requirements.
Medicine and Vaccine Planning Can Follow Placement
Future placements also create medicine and vaccine requirements.
Once the business knows:
How many chicks will be placed
Where they will be placed
When they will be placed
The health team can prepare the relevant vaccination and medication requirements based on the company’s program.
This gives procurement better visibility into future demand.
Procurement Should Receive Future Requirements Early
Demand forecasting can support procurement beyond feed and medicine.
Future production may require:
Chicks
Hatching eggs
Feed ingredients
Vaccines
Medicines
Packaging materials
Disinfectants
Farm consumables
Processing materials
Knowing these requirements earlier can reduce last minute purchasing.
Inventory Planning Should Use Future Demand
Current stock alone does not tell the complete story.
The business also needs to know what stock will be required in future.
For example, current vaccine stock may appear sufficient.
But if several large placements are scheduled next month, the stock may not be enough.
Demand planning allows inventory to be viewed against future requirements rather than only today’s balance.
Demand Planning Can Reduce Emergency Purchases
When requirements become visible only at the last minute, procurement has fewer options.
The business may need to buy urgently.
Supplier choices may be limited.
Transportation may become more expensive.
Material may arrive late.
A forward demand plan gives procurement more time to prepare and negotiate.
Demand Planning Can Reduce Unnecessary Inventory
The opposite problem is over purchasing.
If procurement buys material without considering actual future requirements, the business may hold unnecessary stock.
This ties up working capital and may create expiry risk for certain items.
Connecting procurement with future production requirements can help maintain a better balance.
Demand Forecast Should Be Updated Regularly
A forecast prepared at the beginning of the year will not remain accurate throughout the year.
Customer requirements change.
Farm performance changes.
Mortality changes.
Hatchability changes.
Market conditions change.
New orders arrive.
Orders may be cancelled.
The demand forecast should therefore be reviewed regularly.
Depending on the business, this may happen daily, weekly or monthly.
Rolling Forecast Gives a Better View
A rolling forecast continuously extends the planning horizon.
For example, management may always review the next 12 weeks.
At the end of each week, another week is added.
Actual orders replace forecast quantities as they become available.
This gives the business a continuously updated view of future demand.
Forecast Versus Actual Demand Should Be Measured
Forecast accuracy is important.
Management should compare:
Forecast demand
Actual customer orders
Actual sales
Variance
This helps the business understand where forecasts are consistently too high or too low.
Over time, this can improve planning assumptions.
Production Forecast Versus Actual Production Should Also Be Reviewed
The same comparison should happen on the production side.
Management can compare:
Expected production
Actual production
Expected mortality
Actual mortality
Expected egg production
Actual egg production
Expected hatchability
Actual hatchability
Expected bird weight
Actual bird weight
This helps improve future production forecasts.
Historical Performance Can Improve Future Planning
Planning assumptions should not remain fixed if actual performance shows something different.
For example, if a farm consistently performs better or worse than the standard mortality assumption, management can review whether future forecasts should use a more realistic value.
The same applies to:
Hatchability
Egg production
Feed consumption
FCR
Bird weight
Processing yield
Using actual operational history makes planning more relevant to the business.
Seasonality Should Be Considered
Poultry demand may change during different periods.
Demand can be influenced by:
Festivals
Holiday periods
Weather
Tourism
School calendars
Local events
Customer promotions
Regional consumption patterns
The exact seasonal pattern differs by country and market.
A demand forecast should therefore allow the business to use its own historical and market information rather than relying on a generic pattern.
Sales Team Input Still Matters
Software should not replace commercial knowledge.
A salesperson may know that a major customer is planning a promotion next month.
A distributor may have indicated a higher requirement.
A contract may be under negotiation.
These events may not appear in historical sales data.
The system should allow authorised users to adjust the forecast based on known commercial information while maintaining visibility into the change.
Management Approval Can Be Used for Major Forecast Changes
A significant increase or decrease in the demand forecast can affect production and purchasing.
The business may therefore choose to use an approval process for major changes.
This creates better control over decisions that may result in:
Additional chick placement
Additional feed production
Higher procurement
Farm capacity changes
Processing changes
Working capital requirements
Multiple Farms Need Central Capacity Planning
A large poultry business may operate many farms.
Planning each farm separately makes it difficult to understand total capacity.
A central view can show:
Farm
House
Current batch
Bird population
Expected depletion
Cleaning period
Next available date
Capacity
Planned placement
Unallocated capacity
This helps planners decide where future batches can be placed.
Contract Farms Can Also Be Included in Planning
Some poultry companies operate company owned farms as well as contract farms.
The planning process can include both where relevant.
Management can then understand:
Internal capacity
Contract farm capacity
Planned placements
Expected production
Farm availability
This provides a more complete view of future supply.
Multi Location Demand Planning
Demand may also vary by region.
A company may have strong demand in one location and excess production in another.
Planning by location can help management compare:
Regional demand
Local inventory
Nearby farm production
Processing availability
Transport requirements
This can support better allocation decisions.
Sales, Production and Procurement Should Work from One Plan
One of the biggest problems in poultry planning is that every department prepares its own forecast.
Sales has a sales forecast.
Farms have a placement plan.
Hatchery has a hatch plan.
Feed mill has a feed production plan.
Procurement has a purchase plan.
Finance has a budget.
If these plans are not connected, the nos may not agree.
A connected poultry planning process creates a common demand signal that can be used by different departments.
Demand Planning Has a Financial Impact
Every production decision requires money.
Additional chick placement means additional chick cost.
More birds require more feed.
More production may require more labour.
Higher inventory requires more working capital.
The demand plan can therefore help finance estimate future cash and working capital requirements.
This is another reason why demand forecasting should be connected with the ERP rather than maintained only in a sales spreadsheet.
Demand Planning Can Help Protect Margin
Poor planning can affect profitability in several ways.
A shortage may result in lost sales.
Emergency purchases may increase cost.
Excess birds may consume additional feed.
Excess eggs may create inventory pressure.
Excess processed stock may increase expiry risk.
Poor capacity planning may result in inefficient production.
Better forecasting does not eliminate these risks, but it gives management more time to respond.
Management Needs a Demand Planning Dashboard
A demand planning dashboard should focus on future exceptions rather than simply displaying large numbers.
Useful information may include:
Confirmed customer orders
Forecast demand
Expected production
Demand versus production
Expected shortages
Expected excess production
Chick placement plan
Farm capacity
Hatchery capacity
Egg requirement
Expected egg production
Feed requirement
Processing requirement
The objective is to show management where future demand and available capacity are not aligned.
Demand Versus Production by Week
A weekly demand versus production view can be particularly useful.
For each future week, management can review:
Expected demand
Confirmed orders
Expected production
Committed quantity
Available quantity
Shortage or excess
This can be viewed by product, farm, location or business unit depending on the operation.
It provides a practical forward view of the business.
Exception Based Planning Saves Time
Planners should not have to investigate every farm and every product every day.
The system can highlight exceptions.
For example:
Demand exceeds expected production
Farm capacity is insufficient
Hatching eggs are below requirement
Setter capacity is unavailable
Expected DOC output is below customer demand
Feed requirement exceeds available stock
Processing demand exceeds plant capacity
Expected egg production is above sales demand
This allows the team to focus on the areas that need action.
How NAVFarm Supports Poultry Demand Forecasting and Planning
NAVFarm is designed to connect poultry operations with planning, inventory, sales and financial management.
Depending on the poultry business model, NAVFarm can support planning across:
Customer orders
Sales forecast
Demand planning
Broiler production
Chick placement
Farm capacity
Farm availability
Breeder operations
Egg production forecast
Hatching egg requirements
Hatchery planning
DOC requirements
Setter and hatcher capacity
Feed requirements
Feed production
Medicine and vaccine requirements
Processing planning
Inventory
Procurement
Sales
Finance
Management reporting
NAVFarm works with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, allowing poultry planning information to connect with inventory, purchasing, sales and financial transactions.
This is particularly useful for integrated poultry businesses where a customer requirement can affect several operations before the final product is ready.
A Practical Broiler Demand Planning Example
Consider a poultry company expecting demand for 500,000 broilers during a future period.
The business first reviews when customers are expected to require the birds.
Demand is divided by week.
The system compares the requirement with existing batches that will become available during those weeks.
For the remaining demand, the business calculates the future chick placement requirement.
Expected mortality is considered.
Required placement dates are calculated based on the target growing period.
Farm capacity is checked.
Available houses are identified.
Feed requirements are calculated.
Medicine and vaccination requirements become visible.
As the batches grow, actual mortality and body weight update the expected future availability.
Sales can then compare confirmed customer orders with the revised production forecast.
The plan continues to change as actual information becomes available.
This is much more useful than maintaining an annual production number that does not reflect current farm performance.
A Practical Hatchery Demand Planning Example
Suppose customers are expected to require 300,000-day old chicks in a particular week.
The business reviews confirmed orders and forecast demand.
The required hatch output is calculated.
Based on expected hatchability, the system estimates the hatching egg requirement.
The required setting dates are identified.
Setter capacity is checked.
Expected breeder egg availability is compared with the requirement.
If breeder production is below the required egg quantity, the shortage becomes visible before the eggs need to be set.
Management now has time to review the plan.
The customer requirement has effectively been converted into an operational hatchery and breeder plan.
A Practical Layer Egg Forecasting Example
A layer business has several flocks of different ages.
The company knows the current bird population and recent egg production for each flock.
Expected production is calculated for the coming weeks.
The system combines the expected output across farms.
Current egg inventory is added.
Confirmed customer orders and forecast demand are then compared with expected availability.
If production is expected to exceed demand in a future week, the sales team gets an early indication.
If demand is expected to exceed production, management can review customer commitments and commercial priorities.
This creates a direct connection between layer farm performance and sales planning.
A Practical Integrated Poultry Planning Chain
For an integrated poultry company, the complete planning chain can look like this:
Customer demand
Sales forecast
Required finished production
Required broiler availability
Required chick placement
Farm capacity
DOC requirement
Hatchery planning
Hatching egg requirement
Breeder egg production
Feed requirement
Medicine and vaccine requirement
Processing requirement
Expected sales availability
Each stage affects the next.
If one assumption changes, the impact should become visible across the plan.
This is where an integrated poultry ERP provides much more value than separate planning spreadsheets.
What to Look for in Poultry Demand Forecasting Software
Before selecting Poultry Demand Forecasting Software, businesses should check whether the system can support their actual production structure.
Important capabilities may include:
Customer order-based demand
Sales forecasting
Demand by product
Demand by week or period
Demand versus supply
Chick placement planning
Farm capacity planning
Farm availability
Broiler production forecasting
Egg production forecasting
Hatching egg planning
Hatchery planning
DOC forecasting
Setter capacity
Hatcher capacity
Feed requirement planning
Medicine and vaccine planning
Processing planning
Inventory planning
Procurement planning
Forecast versus actual reporting
Multiple farms
Multiple locations
Management dashboards
Financial integration
The system should do more than prepare a forecast.
It should help convert demand into an actionable production and supply plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Poultry Demand Forecasting Software
Poultry Demand Forecasting Software helps poultry businesses estimate future product demand and connect that demand with farm production, chick placement, hatchery requirements, egg production, feed requirements and available capacity.
How does demand forecasting help a poultry farm
Demand forecasting gives the business a forward view of what customers are expected to require. This helps management plan chick placement, farm capacity, feed, procurement and future production before the demand actually occurs.
Can poultry software forecast chick placement requirements
Yes. Future broiler demand can be converted into a chick placement requirement by considering the required production date, growing cycle, expected mortality and farm capacity.
Can NAVFarm plan farm capacity
Yes. Farm and house capacity, current batches, expected depletion and future availability can be considered during placement planning.
Can poultry software forecast egg production
Yes. Expected egg production can be estimated using flock information such as bird population, age and production performance and then compared with future customer demand.
Can customer orders be used for hatchery planning
Yes. Customer demand for day old chicks can be converted into expected hatch requirements, egg setting requirements and hatching egg requirements based on the planning assumptions used by the business.
Can hatchability be considered while calculating egg requirements
Yes. Expected hatchability can be used when calculating how many eggs need to be set to achieve the required chick output.
Can the system plan setter and hatcher capacity
Yes. Planned egg settings and hatch dates can be compared with available setter and hatcher capacity to identify potential capacity issues.
Can demand planning calculate future feed requirements
Yes. Once future placements and bird populations are planned, expected feed consumption can be used to estimate future feed requirements.
Can demand forecasting support procurement planning
Yes. Future feed, medicine, vaccine, packaging and other requirements can provide input for procurement planning.
Can demand planning work for multiple poultry farms
Yes. A central planning process can compare demand with production and available capacity across multiple farms, houses and locations.
Can NAVFarm connect demand planning with finance
Yes. NAVFarm works with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, allowing operational planning to connect with purchasing, inventory, sales and financial management.
From Market Demand to the Farm Plan
The real challenge in poultry planning is not predicting one sales number.
It is understanding what that number means for the rest of the business.
A requirement for more broilers means more chicks need to be placed.
More placements require farm capacity.
More birds require feed, medicine and vaccines.
More day old chick demand creates additional hatchery requirements.
Additional hatchery demand requires more hatching eggs.
Hatching egg requirements need to be supported by breeder production.
Processed chicken demand needs to be supported by live bird availability, processing capacity and expected yield.
When each department prepares these plans separately, the business spends a lot of time reconciling numbers.
NAVFarm provides a way to connect customer demand with poultry production planning, farm capacity, hatchery operations, inventory, procurement, sales and finance through Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
For poultry businesses still planning demand, chick placement, hatchery requirements and farm capacity through separate Excel sheets, moving to a connected Poultry Demand Forecasting Software can provide a much clearer view of what needs to be produced, when it needs to be produced and whether the required capacity and resources are available. To understand how NAVFarm can support your poultry planning process, request a NAVFarm demonstration using your actual customer demand, farm capacity, hatchery and production structure.
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