Michael Warner

During the year, Drs Tamsyn Crowley and Anthony Keyburn discovered that microRNA profiles differ from stressed hens compared to non-stressed hens. This means that a potential, non-invasive scientific test for the welfare status of birds will be possible. This is a world first. It will add an objective measure to what is usually a highly emotive subject – bird welfare. Another welfare-relate ...

The rapid expansion of chicken meat production in Australia has led to a scarcity of bedding materials such as wood shavings and sawdust, and, at times, rice hulls and straw. The natural flow on from this demand is increased pricing of new bedding materials which create a financial incentive to re-use litter for multiple batches in broiler production. Reuse of litter, while common in some countrie ...

Poultry CRC project leader Dr David Cadogan, from CRC partner Feedworks, has recently submitted the final report for his project Influence of betaine on embryo survival, hatchability and progeny performance. This was a two-part project investigating both the value of (Danisco’s) Betafin ®S1 as a feed additive in layers, and the effect of Betafin ®S1 on broiler breeders. The presence ...

Poultry CRC researcher, Dr Kapil Chousalkar at The University of Adelaide, has recently commenced a project investigating the dynamics of Salmonella shedding on commercial cage layer farms. Titled Epidemiology of Salmonella on layer farms, this research aims to determine the roles environmental, or bird or egg factors play in the transmission pathways of Salmonella&nb ...

The Poultry CRC continues to attract exemplary PhD candidates. One of our latest recruits, veterinarian Dr Jemma Bergfeld (based at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory [AAHL]) is set to unravel the mechanisms underlying Newcastle Disease (ND). Caused by virulent strains of avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV1), this devastating and highly contagious virus is regarded ...

Dr Lauren Edwards undertook her PhD, titled Human-animal interactions in the laying hen, with support from the first round Australian Poultry CRC (2003-2009) under the supervision of Professors Paul Hemsworth and Grahame Coleman. Now employed as a lecturer in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Unitec Institute of Technology in New Zealand, Lauren’s research results suggest that the ...

Antimicrobial or antibiotic resistance is an emotive and often misunderstood topic. It is a subject that many, including governments, academics and consumers, use as a stick to beat our industry with! With this article we hope to give you a clearer picture of some of the issues involved and endeavour to look at the subject from a practical/field point of view rat ...

Traditionally, our interaction with bacteria has been viewed in terms of disease, although most bacteria are however either benign or beneficial. Evidence has been gathering about the fundamental role bacteria play in the development of the immune system, and the general health of animals. Indeed, humans are estimated to carry 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells; so we are really a sup ...

Poultry farmers are consistently looking at ways to reduce costs, increase farm efficiencies and maximise their return on investment. For many, the management of poultry litter is one aspect of their operations that presents its own challenges. For fertiliser use, spent litter is commonly perceived as bulky, having an inconsistent nutrient content, and there are concerns that use as a land applied ...

According to researchers at The University of Sydney, free-range broilers and layers are less efficient converters of feed into saleable meat and eggs, and generally have higher mortality than conventionally-reared poultry. In broilers, the performance gap has been quantified as a 10-12 point increase in Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). This does not consider the intake, by some birds, of dry matter ( ...