Roll out of Poultry Coach across Africa

Following the successful introduction of the Poultry Coach app in De Heus' export countries under the Koudijs brand, De Heus has decided to develop a version specifically tailored for users of complete feed. 

Poultry farming is an important livestock sector in many African countries because it provides people with both income and protein. But for many farmers, raising poultry is a challenging business since there's limited access to high-quality agricultural training in Africa. "We provide the best feed solutions to optimise animal performance," says Johan. Optimal performance depends on good feed and good management. Together for better results.  Management decisions about water, climate, litter, biosecurity and feed strategy are critical. The Poultry Coach is guiding the farmer throughout these management decisions to obtain more revenue and income for their family. 

Our experts can't be at farmers' elbows on a continuous basis. "In poultry farming, factors like temperature and ventilation can have a big impact," explains Johan. "We wanted to advise farmers on important points like these to ensure great results and we realized that an online coach was the answer. Even if end users can’t read, since the app contains a tutorial to show in practice. " Doing business on a mobile phone is everyday practice in Africa, and as well as providing farmers with up-to-date technical information, an app allows De Heus to develop relationships with thousands of customers. As a result, Poultry Coach was created.  

The Poultry Coach gives farmers advice based on the bird, its age and type of stall. It also includes videos explaining how to implement animal management decisions in practice. As well as daily tips, Poultry Coach helps farmers gain valuable insight into the health and performance of their flocks using visuals and reports. "We spent a lot of time aligning Poultry Coach with farmers' needs and making it as intuitive as possible. It's a customer-first solution that helps make farmers more successful," says Johan.  

Since the Poultry Coach was launched, feedback from users has been very positive. Beginning poultry farmers appreciate the practical tips and instruction videos on feed and farm management tailored to the age of the flock. "This approach guides them through the entire lifecycle of raising poultry," says Johan. "It also helps increase their knowledge of poultry farming and grow their business." More experienced farmers like the easy way of entering production data which allows them to compare results on body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. New young farmers are motivated to start their own project with poultry supported by the Poultry Coach giving them independence. The Poultry Coach generates easy-to-use reports based on this input so users can compare results with previous flocks and benchmarks. "The reports also provide insights into areas for potential  improvement or they can alert a farmer to an undetected problem," Johan continues.  

In addition to these handy features, users can contact De Heus poultry experts through the app for direct support via WhatsApp. "This feature is used a lot," says Johan. "Other popular features include mixing instructions and a feed supply calculator which helps users to see how much concentrate and raw materials they have to buy per day, per week or per flock so they don’t run out of stock." 

After the countries already mentioned additional countries will soon follow. With the feedback of our customers we keep on working together on obtaining the best possible results for our customers. New features are found in for example creating communities which are focused on optimal performance. Johan continues: “Our customers will be supported by our team of specialists, but always carry the coach with them. This coach will be able to reward good results with a discount coupon to and allow farmers to participate in the yearly competition of the best-farmer.”