Poultry meat consumption in Kuwait has increased rapidly over the past 15 years. The objective of this report is to examine and explain the development of the Kuwait poultry during this period with a special focus on the reasons for the recent rapid expansion of the broiler breeder industry.

In 2011, 39,396 tonnes of poultry meat were produced in Kuwait with a value of $56.1 million, but this accounted for only 20% of the total poultry meat consumption (97.5 kg/person). The Kuwait poultry industry is economically competitive with imported poultry meat, but expansion is limited because of the availability of suitable land and water resources. Poultry companies therefore increase revenue by producing a higher proportion of higher value products (fresh/chilled meat, further processed chicken products and live bird sales). The industry now provides almost all its requirements for broiler chicken hatching eggs, but production efficiency is reduced in the late summer months when combinations of high temperatures and humidity give extreme climatic conditions. There is a need for research to improve production efficiency and training and education of staff to ensure a continued skill base for the industry.

The time between a hatching egg being produced and set in an incubator can be divided into a laying house period and a storage period. The period in the laying house affects hatching results by the stage of embryonic development at oviposition as well as by the subsequent environmental conditions. Advanced embryonic development at oviposition or prior to storage seems to improve hatchability, especially when storage is prolonged. Stage of embryonic development at oviposition is influenced by parental age, strain, individual bird variation and clutch length. After oviposition and before storage embryonic development can be influenced by the type of nest, egg collection pattern and temperature.

During storage, hatchability is influenced by the length of the storage period, temperature, humidity, gaseous environment and the orientation of the eggs. A decrease in hatchability can be detected in eggs stored for 2–3 days or more. Storage temperature should be decreased with extended length of storage. Temporary heating before incubation and enclosing eggs in plastic bags during storage improves hatchability, especially when storage is prolonged. A high humidity during storage also improves hatchability, probably due to a reduction in water loss. The changes in albumen pH during storage are discussed in so far as they provide a possible explanation for relationships between environmental conditions during storage and hatching results.

Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 was recovered from the yolk sacs of broiler chickens in East Anglia, UK, during 1987. When the same phage type 4 was identified in two of the supply flocks, transovarian infection was suspected. These findings were of particular interest to the Public Health Laboratory Service because they provided a possible explanation for the unprecedented increase in food poisoning during 1988 linked to the consumption of shell eggs. Some of the problems of diagnosis are discussed in breeder hens and in the progeny. Effective control of S. enteritidis phage 4 in poultry is dependent on the accurate detection of infected breeder/layer hens in which vertical transmission is the essential distinguishing feature from most other non-invasive, enteric salmonellas found in poultry. The mandatory testing of poultry flocks by the UK Ministry of Agriculture introduced in March 1989 has led to the compulsory slaughter of a large number of birds as prescribed by the Zoonosis (1989) Order. The benefits of this policy should soon become apparent to poultry producers and to the consumer.