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COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!!!! The Poultry CRC is looking for quality photos of poultry (chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, quails, etc). So after a very popular photo competition in 2012, the Poultry CRC is running another for 2014! Again, we have two categories, Open and Schools. We are looking for any images associated with poultry, both in

Welcome to another edition of eChook! “The Academic Apple Tree” is the title of Professor David Farrell’s autobiography. It is an amazing story from a number of points of view. Firstly, let me say a few words about the connection between David’s career and mine. David left the University of New England (UNE) in 1994

Why is it so difficult to apply research findings in the poultry industry? Firstly, there’s the different perspective of farmers and researchers. Poultry farmers, whether broiler growers or layer farmers, must run profitable businesses, balancing a slew of factors including operating costs, capital costs, staff management, animal husbandry, welfare, etc. to produce an income. Researchers,

Mr Eugene McGahan from FSA Consulting recently completed a project, titled Odour Measurement and Impact from Spent Hen Composting, funded by the Poultry CRC. This research quantified the extent of odour emissions from composting of spent hens at layer farms. The project was a collaborative effort between FSA Consulting, Pacific Environment Limited, the QLD Department

Recently on the outskirts of Melbourne, Poultry CRC supported postgraduate students gathered for our annual PoultryGrad workshop. The purposes of this event are professional development and social networking. With our students dispersed across the nation, the yearly face-to-face interactions serve to build and fortify relationships with their peers into the future. The first day of

Poultry is regarded as the animal protein of the future due to its high efficiency of production and low emissions. Australia, for example, has become one of the highest consumers of poultry meat, with annual consumption increasing from less than 5kg per person in the 1960s to 45kg per person today. The important driver of

Feed Restriction Effects on Broiler Muscle Growth is the title of Mr Dean Powell’s Poultry CRC-supported PhD project. His research examines the impact of varied nutritional regimens on muscle development, especially focussing on the immediate post-hatch period, with the overall aim of producing broiler birds with more muscle and less fat. Dean spent the first

The University of New England has offered Dr Isabelle Ruhnke a 3-year postdoctoral position in poultry science as part of its strategic investment in young talent. Isabelle is, indeed, a deserving appointment. She holds multiple degrees from the Free University of Berlin, including a State Examination of Veterinary Medicine, a Master’s of Small Animal Sciences,

The state’s poultry egg producers will benefit from the new appointment of Department of Primary Industries Development Officer poultry eggs based at Tocal Agricultural Centre near Maitland. DPI Manager for Dairy and Intensive Livestock Industries, Tim Burfitt, said the new role will help the poultry egg industry access new technologies while improving the efficiency of

Welcome to another edition of eChook! Poultry CRC wishes all our colleagues, friends and families a safe and enjoyable festive season, and good wishes for an outstanding 2014! In this edition, we look at one of the challenges in bird management in free range systems, highlight a recently completed CRC project, and introduce two new

Coccidiosis, caused by parasites of the genus Eimeria, is a worldwide disease of chickens estimated to result in global annual losses of over US$2.4 billion. Ten species of Eimeria have been identified in Australia and species, as well as strains within a species, can vary greatly in their pathogenicity. Recent outbreaks on vaccinated farms have

Dr Jeff Downing, Senior Lecture in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at The University of Sydney, has a new Poultry CRC project titled Proteomic measures of albumen degradation as indicators of egg freshness. Working with Associate Professor Paul Sheehy, Jeff’s project will investigate the changes in proteins found in egg albumen associated with time and

Associate Professor Dominique Blache from The University of Western Australia (UWA) is leading a new Poultry CRC project attempting to reduce the incidence of floor laying on commercial duck farms. It has been estimated that about 20% (but this may be as high as 40%) of eggs may be laid outside of the nest box