The next generation of layer hen performance.
Pikkers builds feed recipes that help your flocks lay more eggs, with stronger shells and better nutrition — paired with software that turns every cycle into data you can act on.
Pikkers · Afrikaans for “peckers” · we take our name from the job.
What we do
From feed hopper to the dozens on the dock
Every service covers the whole cycle of a laying hen. Feed formulation is only half the job — measuring whether it works is the other half.
Pasgemaakte voerformulering
Custom feed formulation
Phase-specific recipes (peak, phase 1, 2, 3, cull) tuned to your breed, local ingredients and production curve.
Eierkwaliteit & dopsterkte
Egg quality & shell strength
Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D tuning that cuts cracks and dirties — the numbers that quietly eat your margin.
Groei & jong hoenders
Growth & pullet rearing
Starter, grower and developer programmes that get pullets to target body weight at 18 weeks without the feed bill blowing out.
Tropprestasie-dop
Flock performance tracking
Pikkers Lab: record daily data per flock on your phone, see actual vs breed-standard for every metric that matters.
Pikkers Lab
The tracking system that comes with the feed
Every Pikkers customer gets access to Pikkers Lab — a web and mobile app that replaces the Excel sheet most farmers run their operations on. Capture daily data per flock, see live performance against breed standards, and know your feed-cost-per-dozen at a glance.
See the full service list →22+ charts per flock
Every metric from the Excel sheet — hen-day %, FCR, mortality, egg weight, body weight, water:feed, feed cost/dozen — plotted live against the breed standard curve.
Runs on your phone
Installable PWA. Walk into the house, open Pikkers Lab, punch in the day's numbers. Works on the office laptop too.
Import from Excel
Already running a LAYER DATA sheet? Upload it. Pikkers Lab reads the placement info and every weekly row, and creates a flock you can continue in-app.
Multi-farm, multi-flock
Farms of any size — one house or ten. Every house can hold multiple flocks over time and you roll up averages across the whole operation.
Why it matters
“Most farmers win the nutrition battle or they win the numbers battle. Pikkers is the bridge — so you can win both at the same time.”
FAQ
Frequently asked
What is Pikkers?+
Pikkers is a South African layer-hen feed formulation service run by Gert. We design feed recipes that improve egg output, shell quality and bird growth, and we give farmers the tools to measure the difference flock-by-flock.
What does 'Pikkers' mean?+
Pikkers is Afrikaans for 'peckers' — a nod to what chickens actually do all day. We take chicken nutrition as seriously as the birds take their feed.
Do you work with breeds other than Hyline Brown?+
Yes. Hyline Silver Brown, Lohmann, Amberlink, Dekalb Brown, H&N Brown and others. Each flock in our tracking app is pinned to its breed standard so you see actual performance against the target curve for that specific breed.
Can I keep using my existing Excel sheet?+
You can upload it. Pikkers Lab imports the LAYER DATA sheet you already keep, and from then on daily entry happens in the app — including on your phone, in the hen house.
Where are you based?+
South Africa. Contact Gert directly at gert@pikkers.co.za for a recipe review, feed costing, or to onboard your flocks.
Hatch a better cycle
Ready to talk feed?
Email Gert with your breed, flock size and what you're trying to improve. We'll come back with a recipe direction and costing.