chickens Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

St. Albert’s Melissa Hills has been enjoying her small backyard flock of brown production layers and heritage breeds since the start of the pandemic.

Winter’s here but pandemic poultry are still a hit across Alberta

By Jennifer Blair January 22, 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutes Backyard chickens saw a boom during the early days of the pandemic — and the interest hasn’t waned yet, despite the wintry weather. “I’ve had eight incubator package requests already through November and December,” said Tammy Wheatley, owner of The Urban Chicks, a company near Calgary that rents chickens out for the summer. “The pandemic […] Read more

News, Poultry/Eggs

Chicken farmers cut production, but no aid sought

By Alberta Farmer Staff May 14, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s chicken farmers have reduced production but won’t be asking for financial help from government, says the Chicken Farmers of Canada. “We’ll take care of this ourselves,” said Benoît Fontaine, the organization’s chair. However, chicken farmers may have to “depopulate flocks” if there’s an escalation in slaughter plant closures and should that happen, they want […] Read more

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

Piglets aborted, chickens gassed as pandemic slams meat sector

"We have to have less hogs somehow"

By Tom Polansek, P.j. Huffstutter, GFM Network News April 28, 2020

Chicago | Reuters — With the pandemic hobbling the meat-packing industry, Iowa farmer Al Van Beek had nowhere to ship his full-grown pigs to make room for the 7,500 piglets he expected from his breeding operation. The crisis forced a decision that still troubles him: He ordered his employees to give injections to the pregnant […] Read more

Livestock, Reuters

U.S. meat industry sues California for animal protection ‘overreach’

By Jonathan Stempel October 4, 2019

Reuters — California was sued on Friday by the largest U.S. trade group for meat packers and processors, which wants to block enforcement of a voter-approved measure requiring farmers to provide more space for animals being raised for food. The North American Meat Institute, whose members include processors such as Tyson Foods and retailers including […] Read more

Livestock, Poultry/Eggs, Reuters

Gene-edited chickens planned in bid to halt next pandemic

By Kate Kelland January 21, 2019

London | Reuters — British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be totally resistant to flu in a new approach to trying to stop the next deadly human pandemic. The first of the transgenic chicks will be hatched later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said Wendy […] Read more

News, Poultry/Eggs

Chicken welfare program enhanced

By Chicken Farmers of Canada October 12, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicken farmers across Canada are rolling out the latest changes to the Raised by a Canadian Farmer Animal Care Program. The program will enhance environmental care and bird monitoring and handling as well as health-care practices, and emergency management and preparedness. “Our Animal Care Program is a clear demonstration of farmers’ commitment to animal care,” […] Read more

General, Markets, Reuters

Chickens culled as Brazil truckers disrupt commodity exports

By Ana Mano, José Roberto Gomes May 29, 2018

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Striking truckers in Brazil have disrupted supply and exports of farm produce from one of the world’s agricultural commodity powerhouses. Brazil is the top global exporter of soybeans, sugar, coffee and chickens. The strike over high fuel prices has paralyzed Latin America’s largest economy, emptied Brazilian roadways and left major […] Read more

Livestock, Machinery & Shop, Poultry/Eggs

Cargill to replace chicken plant’s stunning system

By Alberta Farmer Staff April 14, 2018

Agrifood firm Cargill has budgeted $22 million to swap out an electric stunning system at its London, Ont. chicken processing plant in favour of a new controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) system. The CAS system, expected to be up and running this spring, “will help reduce handling stress with chickens, resulting in a higher-quality, more consistent […] Read more

Poultry/Eggs, Reuters

VIDEO: Researchers aim to turn bird feathers into food

By Reuters October 25, 2017

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters – Biotechnologists have identified and refined a micro-organism that can convert bird feathers and other forms of organic waste into food products and cosmetics, as Jim Drury reports.

Livestock, Poultry/Eggs, Reuters

Tyson to test new method to stun chickens

By Tom Polansek June 21, 2017

Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods will test a new way to render chickens unconscious before slaughter, the company said Wednesday, in the latest sign that heightened concerns about animal welfare are affecting U.S. meat processors. Within the next year, Tyson, the biggest U.S. chicken company, will launch a pilot program at two processing plants […] Read more

Alberta hog farmers to get set-aside via AgriRecovery

No credit expected for farmers’ past work in new carbon market

Spring road bans coming into effect across Prairies

GFM Network News