A recently-funded poultry facility at the University of Saskatchewan will allow researchers to develop improvements to poultry barn lighting, housing and feed systems.
The project’s lead researcher is so excited she’s putting off retirement.
“I want the first experiment in a system like this. This is so exciting,” Karen Schwean-Lardner said in a University of Saskatchewan news release.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation announced $6.2 million in funding to build a state-of-the-art poultry laying facility at the University. The foundation is a federal government-created non-profit set up in 1997 to fund research infrastructure in Canada.
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WHY IT MATTERS: The proposed facility will allow researchers to improve poultry barn lighting, housing and food systems for better animal welfare and egg production.
The Saskatchewan Egg Producers contributed $3 million while the university’s agriculture and bioresource department added $1 million.
“This will move us so far forward in poultry research,” said Schwean-Lardner in the release. Schwean-Lardner is a professor in the university’s department of animal and poultry science.
The nearly 24,000-square-foot facility is set to include three types of hen housing: enriched, free run and free-range. Ten individual housing rooms will have controls for lighting, temperature and other environmental factors.
“Each one is like a little mini-barn,” Schwean-Larder told media.
“Big data is getting more attention these days. We have a lot of data that can be gathered over time, and this unit is going to allow us to manage that data and collect it over a long period of time,” assistant professor Deborah Adewole said. “There are going to be a lot of new things that we can do for poultry research.”
The facility will also include viewing rooms so public groups — for example, schoolchildren — can see the chickens and housing systems while reducing biosecurity risks.
“We can control the environment. Right now, we cannot do that in the same way,” said Adewole. “This facility is one of its kind in Canada. There are other universities that have built new facilities, but this one is encompassing all systems and has space for public viewing systems as well — which is a first in Canada.”
Schwean-Larder said her first experiment would look at the effects of light on the hens and will involve researchers from the U.S.
“To be able to do that kind of research with an international perspective, I can’t stand it. I’m losing my voice because I’m excited.”
