Shawna Weimer

The holiday season is once again here, which means many kitchens will be filling up with baked goods and savory dishes. It is also the time of year when the use of eggs increases for all of those delicious dishes! However, eggs can be a potential source of Salmonella bacteria that can cause illness or in rare cases even death. Here are some tips to help reduce that risk in your kitchen.Eggs 101The ...

The hatching phase of broiler production refers to the last three days of incubation, which are embryonic days 18-21. This phase of embryonic development is critical for the chick’s survival, as well as welfare and production later in life. In commercial hatcheries, eggs with viable embryos are transferred from incubators to hatching cabinets on embryonic day 18. Chicks hatch in the hatching ...

In cage-free housing, multi-tiered aviary structures are often used (pictured above), where key resources (i.e., feed, water, nests, perches) are available on elevated platforms called tiers, and litter substrate is available on the ground floor for dustbathing and foraging. Hens move vertically and horizontally across the elevated structures to access resources, which requires the hens to have sk ...

The first few days of life are some of the most important in chicks' lives. During this time, chicks start developing and set themselves up for the rest of their lifetime. The husbandry decisions made at this point can impact the birds' growth, development, health and welfare.This newsletter will focus on three important parts of giving chicks the best start:TemperatureFeedWater  &nbs ...

Stocking density is a critical factor to consider for optimum welfare of commercial broilers    Stocking density is typically defined in terms of the number of birds per unit area or the amount of space provided on per bird basis. In commercial production, stocking density of a broiler flock is calculated based on target market weight by accounting for the number of chicks placed in ...

The incubation environment is important for embryonic development and programs chick welfare. The focus of this newsletter is on the effects of the incubator environment on chicken egg incubation, but the same principles can apply to other poultry species. For more information on hatchery topics, see our previous newsletter.This newsletter will focus on the 4 most important incubation factors in t ...

Tryptophan, Serotonin & MelatoninTryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid (AA), which is the building block of protein, therefore it cannot be synthesized by the body itself and must be obtained through food; it is important for many metabolic functions.Trp supplementation improves broiler performance through increased body weight gain, reduced feed intake and improved feed efficiency. As a ...

Most people are very familiar with the severe consequences that heat stress can have on poultry (see our previous newsletter), but cold stress can have severe production and economic consequences as well, leading to reduced egg production, reduced survivability, suppressed development and death.Cold stress can affect poultry in any housing system and during lairage and transportation.    ...

As a consumer of eggs, it's hard not to notice the spike in their prices.While we are still recovering from the increase in food costs due to the pandemic, eggs have become more expensive as well. The media has been abuzz with this issue.It's clear that rising food costs impact many people, with eggs being a staple in many households. Eggs are a complete source of essential amino acids (pr ...