A tool based on digital twinning could allow broiler producers to model the impact of key decisions before making any operational changes, eliminating costly guesswork from day-to-day management.
"This is a unique, proven tool based on science, designed to help broiler integrators understand the impact of their decisions across the whole system," said Jose Manuel De La Fuente Garcia, global strategic marketing director for Poultry at Trouw Nutrition.
How digital twinning works in broiler production
Digital twinning creates a dynamic digital replica of the broiler production process, simulating how changes in feeding strategy, environmental management or performance targets could affect real-world outcomes.
Rather than running trials on live flocks, integrators can safely test scenarios virtually and compare results before committing resources. This allows users to define what they want to optimize, whether that means reducing feed cost, improving feed conversion ratio, increasing body weight or maximizing output per square meter of house space.
The platform also incorporates current market economics, enabling integrators to weigh production decisions against real margin calculations.
For example: if market prices for poultry meat soften, an integrator could use digital twins to evaluate whether it is more profitable to send birds to processing at the planned target weight or extend the grow-out period – and immediately see the feed program adjustments and financial implications of either path.
"You can play with the tool to see the economic impact of decisions around daily weight gain, feed conversion and feed formulation," he said. "If we know the price isn't convenient right now, should we go to market or stay a few more days? The tool shows you exactly what that means financially."
Aligning decisions across the supply chain
One of the core value propositions of using digital twins is alignment. Because broiler integrations involve multiple stakeholders making decisions across nutrition, production and finance, the platform provides a common framework that connects those decisions to shared profitability goals.
"It helps align different perspectives — nutrition, production, economics — around a common objective," Jose De La Fuente said. "The people in the integration remain in control. The tool is there to help them make the right decisions with confidence."
That confidence factor is particularly significant given how many production outcomes depend on a wide range of interacting variables. Digital twin technology is validated through both research facility trials and commercial operations.
"It avoids surprises — you know what the expected result will be before you make a change," Jose De La Fuente said. "And you can see how decisions made at different points in the production cycle affect the overall outcome."
