Poultry Hub Australia (PHA) is committed to supporting and strengthening all aspects of the Australian Poultry Industry and building capacity through our programs and projects. Through collaboration with industry partners and research institutions alike, Poultry Hub Australia is working to help improve production, increase animal welfare, reduce the environmental impact of the industry, and invest in the next generation of poultry industry careers.
The PHA Internships play a crucial role in attracting young people to the poultry industry by providing practical experience, industry exposure, networking opportunities, skill development, career exploration, and adaptation to industry changes. They bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application, helping individuals develop the necessary understanding and insight into the poultry industry.
Two young students are off to a flying start in developing their careers in poultry, assisted by the Poultry Hub internship program. Isuri Dasanayake and Francesca Bohan spent 4 weeks with Turosi Food Solutions Group. The first week consisted of tours around the hatchery, broiler breeding farms, and the processing plant. The following three weeks were spent learning how to dissect chickens, detect abnormalities, identify different bacterial species, and extract blood from chickens. This information then helped to determine the overall health of the chickens within the shed. If there were abnormalities of concern changes would be made accordingly (eg. litter, ventilation, and flock size)
‘It was a great opportunity to talk and work with farmers, quality assurance officers, and veterinarians who exposed us to different perspectives of the poultry industry and gave an insight into the complexity of poultry production’, said Isuri.
While on their internships Isuri and Francesca were given two small projects to work on – one was looking at the bruising of meat at the processing facility and the other investigated early mortalities of broiler chickens. This was a great way to put new skills into practice and show both students the data they were collecting would go into something worthwhile and would be used at Turosi down the track.
Francesca said, ‘I do not come from a farming background and although I study agricultural science at university, much of my learning is theory-based so I have not had much practical experience. I have learned a lot of new and interesting skills such as taking blood samples from chickens and how to conduct dissections for health and nutrition checks.’
It is important to maintain these experiences for students so that they can gain a better understanding of the poultry industry. Thank you to Turosi and everyone involved so these students are able to experience everything that the poultry industry has to offer.
PHA- Carissa Anderson, Educational Officer
