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.
VIDEO: Researchers aim to turn bird feathers into food
New egg layers code wins praise
Reading Time: < 1 minute The revised Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Layers is a “tremendous achievement,” says the Egg Farmers of Alberta. The code is the foundation for the egg industry’s animal welfare standards, and informs enhancements to the national Animal Care Program. The new Code of Practice is the result of “a rigorous and […] Read more
Free workshops on small-flock biosecurity
Workshops to be held in Red Deer on Jan. 14 and Whitecourt on Jan. 28
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture is holding free biosecurity workshops with practical strategies for small flocks. Hands-on activities, producer/owner participation, and guest speakers will discuss common small-flock challenges to help keep multi-generational poultry flocks healthy. Workshops will be held in Red Deer (Peavey Mart Head Office) on Jan. 14 and Whitecourt (Holiday Inn Express) on Jan. 28. To […] Read more
Pill allows celiac sufferers to ingest gluten
A decade of work at the University of Alberta has created a pill made from antibodies in chicken yolks that binds gluten
Reading Time: 2 minutes Celiac sufferers may soon be able to have their cake and eat it too. University of Alberta researchers have created a pill that uses natural antibodies in chicken yolk to prevent celiac sufferers from reacting to gluten. The natural supplement prevents the absorption of giladin, a component of gluten that people with celiac disease are […] Read more
Chicken feed doesn’t describe this system
Some broiler breeders gobble more than their fair share of feed, but a new Alberta-designed system has a fix for that
Reading Time: 3 minutes University of Alberta researchers are only halfway through a precision feeding trial for broiler breeders — but the early results are promising. “The system has done a great job at growing birds to the right weight,” said Martin Zuidhof, an associate professor at the University of Alberta. Along with a team of electrical and mechanical […] Read more
Egg farmers say there’s ‘zero tolerance’ on abuse
Farms caught abusing birds can have their egg-production licence pulled immediately
Reading Time: 4 minutes Egg producers in Alberta are now required to sign a “zero tolerance” pledge for animal abuse. “Any form of abuse, neglect, cruelty, or mistreatment of the birds under our care will not be tolerated and may be grounds for immediate disciplinary action up to and including dismissal,” the pledge states. Any farm that has severe […] Read more
The tale of how chickens got so big
Today’s strain of chickens are four times bigger than the broilers of 60 years ago, and they need only half the feed
Reading Time: 3 minutes A modern broiler chicken grows a whopping four times faster than one bred in the 1950s — and packs on those pounds with much less feed. “They’re much more efficient,” said Martin Zuidhof, associate professor poultry systems at the University of Alberta. “It takes half the feed to grow a bird.” Zuidhof has been getting […] Read more
Pot-bellied pigs, Shetland ponies and rabbits, oh my!
Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale, Saturday, Sept. 27
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pssst… Do you want to buy a duck? Or sell a goat? How about a donkey? Then the annual Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale on Sept. 27 is for you. The sale, which has been running for 31 years, is popular with hobby farmers and attracts about 800 people from Alberta and Saskatchewan each […] Read more
Shady chicken-meat imports have Canadian poultry producers riled up
Mislabelling chicken as spent fowl has allowed American chicken processors to avoid more than $60 million in yearly tariffs, say Canadian chicken producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian chicken producers are crying foul over shady American spent fowl exports. Last year, Canada imported more than 97 million kilograms of chicken meat that was declared as being from spent fowl — which is 110 per cent of the United States’ entire annual spent fowl production. “We’re importing a lot more (spent fowl) than […] Read more
Alberta Chicken Producers welcomes update to poultry care code
Group’s chair says province’s broiler producers are already adhering to expected changes and process ‘will validate what we’re doing’
Reading Time: 2 minutes An initiative to update the animal care code of practice for poultry is being welcomed by the chair of Alberta Chicken Producers. “We already have an animal care program in the province that is mandatory for our producers,” said Erna Ference. “All of our farmers are certified and on that program. From what I understand, […] Read more
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