Egg
Industry’s Research Priorities:
- False Layers: Research on prevention
- Salmonella enteritidis (Food Safety): Transfer between vaccinated and unvaccinated flocks; transfer between bird, environment and egg; transfer outside to inside the egg.
- Spent hens: Composting; non-food uses
- Feed Cost/Feed Conversion: Continue research to identify alternate, economically feasible feed sources.
- Water Quality: Effects of mineral and organic excesses; research the effect of pH in drinking water re layer mortality, production, and shell quality
- Waste Management: Reducing Phosphorus in manure; alternate uses for manure – composting; storage and handling
- Environmental Quality: Air quality issues pertaining to human and poultry health; Facility testing to find base line information regarding appropriate levels of emissions, dust, ammonia; Pathogens/disease
- Bird Health: In free run/range and aviary housing systems; transportation specific to pullets
- Employee Health: Environmental Quality; Physical Concerns (objects in aviaries, climbing ladders, etc.)
Current Research Projects:
- To determine, in laying hens, the effect of feeding hemp by-products on production performance, pecking behavior, gut health and fatty liver disease ( MITACS, New Brunswick – Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership Program, Egg Farmers of New Brunswick and Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia, Egg Farmers of Canada)