Welcome to the final eChook for 2010. A year has passed since the Poultry CRC secured funding for another seven and a half years. During the year, we have properly set up all the necessary governance and management processes, approved 21 research projects, and commenced most of our education activities. The Poultry CRC now has 32 participants, including more

The search for effective egg washing techniques to improve the appearance of eggs and associated food safety is a key objective in a new Poultry CRC research project being conducted at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). A Research Scientist at SARDI’s Food Safety Research Program, Dr Damian May, is working with the Project Leader, Dr Margaret Sexton,

Poultry CRC researchers at CSIRO and The Ohio State University (OSU) are working on a collaborative project to improve industry’s ability to control the gut levels of Campylobacter in meat chickens. Campylobacter is a major cause of human gastro-intestinal illness. It’s estimated that there are around 220,000 cases of Campylobacter per year in Australia, with 50,000 of these being linked to poultry. On the

Poultry CRC PhD student, Adam Sacranie, has submitted his thesis on feed constituents and feeding practices in broilers, and their effects on gut motility. “Gut motility is basically two-pronged,” said Adam, who did his Masters and PhD at the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, New South Wales. “It involves reflux and transit rates, and the ramifications on

During the rebid process in 2009, the Poultry CRC applied for a Science Leveraging Fund (SLF) Grant from the New South Wales Government and was successful in obtaining $500,000. This fund was specifically designed to support poultry research facilities in NSW-based universities that were partners in the Poultry CRC bid. At the time of the application, the University of New

A new DVD, produced by the Poultry CRC, offering a step-by-step guide to conducting an on-farm flock inspection, followed by bird selection and detailed post-mortem of a chicken, is finished and ready for distribution. The 20-minute DVD can be used as a learning aid to help veterinary and animal science students and poultry professionals to identify

The Poultry CRC is supporting a University of Melbourne PhD student in her quest to develop a new vaccine for more effective control of inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) outbreaks in Australian broiler flocks. Penelope Steer, who grew up on a sheep and cattle property in central western Queensland and graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Applied Science

Welcome to another edition of eChook. Where the creeks run dry or ten feet high, And it’s either drought or plenty. This is how the folk song The Overlanders describes Australia. Indeed, Australia has emerged from a long period of drought into a very wet year. The wet season continued well into grain harvest in the eastern states. This

A Poultry CRC research project being undertaken at The Ohio State University is seeking to improve our understanding of early muscle growth and development in broiler chickens, and the importance of an appropriate immediate post-hatch nutritional regimen to maximise muscle mass accretion and maintain meat quality. As per capita consumption of poultry meat continues to rise worldwide, broiler breeders and

The Poultry CRC’s production of poultry industry training manuals for use in the VET sector is continuing on schedule. Commercial Layer Management, Health & Welfare – Principles of Health & Welfare (Book 1) has been completed and is now available for download for people teaching in this area in Australia as either a low resolution PDF suitable for on-screen viewing (3.7MB)

A Poultry CRC research project is being undertaken at the University of New England, Australia (UNE) to examine how defects in shell quality and structure increase the risk that bacteria on the outside of the eggshell can enter the egg. Sub-Project Leader, UNE’s Associate Professor Juliet Roberts, said that, essentially, the Australian egg industry produces a very safe product. “Australia is

Welcome to another edition of eChook. First of all, I am delighted to say that most of our research activities have officially commenced, starting to address approximately 80% of the identified Outputs we are contracted to deliver during the term of the Poultry CRC. We will cover the remaining Outputs by future calls for proposals combined

Staff from the Poultry CRC joined a group of poultry growers and processors, NSW Farmers Association members, local council representatives and federal politicians in Tamworth on October 13 to discuss the future of the poultry industry in the central north of NSW. Although the focus was on poultry meat growers, prominent local egg farmer, Bede Burke, also