The University of Alberta Poultry Research Centre (PRC)

K. G. Briggs, G. R. Foxcroft, J. Carss and F. E. Robinson
Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5

[ PRC Personnel | Proposed, Current or Recently Completed Research Projects | Extension Activities of the PRC | Awards and Honors (1995) ]

Purpose of the PRC: “To encourage and enhance research and extension activities in poultry science through the financial support of academic poultry staff and through contributions to the cost of operating and maintaining the poultry research facility and other ancillary activities”

What is the PRC? The Poultry Research Centre is a joint venture of the following:

• The University of Alberta
  
• Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
  
• The Poultry Industry of Alberta represented through the
  
  • Alberta Chicken Producers
    
  • Alberta Egg Producers Board
    
  • Alberta Hatching Egg Marketing Board
    
  • Alberta Turkey Growers Board.
    

The Centre is administered by the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University. The budget for this Centre involves some funds allocated to assist in operating the Poultry Unit at the Edmonton Research Station, one research technician and three academic salaries.

Background: The PRC was first established in 1985, its inception being precipitated by the closure of the Oliver Poultry Research Centre. The decision was made at that time to consolidate poultry research in the Province of Alberta at the University of Alberta. The loss of two poultry Faculty positions, just prior to that time, had established a lack of presence in poultry research at the University. The decision was made to pool funds from the above mentioned organizations to form a centre that would establish the University of Alberta as a strong research and teaching institution in the area of Poultry Science. In 1986 three faculty were hired to fill the new poultry positions. One position was funded by the University of Alberta, one by the Provincial Government and one jointly by the poultry boards. Changes at the U. of A. There has been considerable re-organisation of administration at the University of Alberta in the past 3 years. The Department of Agricultural Engineering was closed, which meant transfer of some academic staff to other departments within the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics. A departmental merger (Animal Science, Plant Science, Food Science and Human Nutrition) took place on September 1, 1994. This merger has facilitated potentially valuable collaboration in poultry research. The poultry research activities of the staff of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development have supplemented some existing research programs at the Poultry Unit and new projects are being proposed.

Administration

Poultry Professors

Research Collaborators

Graduate Students (as of June 1, 1996)

• P. Goerzen (Sim)
• X. Li (Sim)
• R. McGovern (Feddes/Robinson)
• L. Muller (Robinson)
• H. Oosterhoff (Robinson)
• R. Renema (Robinson)
• H. Sunwoo (Sim)
• R. Wang (Sim)

Postdoctoral Fellows/Research Assistants/Associates

• G. Cherian (Sim)
• K. Kang (Sim)
• T. Nakano (Sim)
• C. Ouelette (Feddes)

Poultry Research Unit Technicians

• L. Bouvier (Unit Manager)
• N. Davidson
• S. Rankin

Trust Technicians

• F. Dennis (Robinson)
• G. Hinse (Poultry Research Centre)
• B. Tchir (Robinson)

Environment/Engineering/Behaviour (J.J.R. Feddes)

• Controlling respirable dust in poultry houses by adding canola oil to litter.
• Monitoring dust and ammonia production by varying stocking density and ventilation rate.
• Environmental enrichment for commercial egg-type caged hens.
• Development of electronic surveillance systems for individual broiler breeder hens to monitor male-female sexual relationships, time spent in nests, at feeders and at drinkers.
• Effects of respirable dust, ambient oxygen, feed restriction and lighting program on the incidence of ascites in broiler chickens (with Robinson).
• Alternative design of broiler breeder feed stations for assisting flock uniformity (with Zuidhof).
• Composting litter from birds fed ground expanded polystyrene (GEP) as a feed diluent (with Zuidhof)

Factors Influencing Broiler Chicken Breast Yield (F.E. Robinson)

• Carcass yield and breast muscle characteristics of commercial broiler chicken stocks (Effects of age, sex and strain)
• Carcass yield and morphometric comparison of portion-controlled breast pieces of four strains of commercial broilers
• Tenderness of broiler chicken breast muscle as determined by instrumental testing. 1. Effects of strain, sex, age and dietary density (with LeBlanc and McMullen)
• Tenderness of broiler chicken breast muscle as determined by instrumental testing. 2. Effects of strain and time from slaughter until deboning (with LeBlanc and McMullen)
• Yield of breast muscle in broiler chickens subjected to short-term feed restriction

Applied Physiology of Reproduction (F.E. Robinson)

• Ovarian morphology and carcass composition of 60 week old commercial leghorn hens varying in body weight.
• Carcass composition at sexual maturity and subsequent reproductive efficiency in egg-type chickens.
• Ovarian form and function in broiler breeders: Effects of prepubertal photoperiod ad feed allocation.
• Consequences of increasing feed allocation to female broiler breeders in the late laying period.
• The interaction between age and body weight at photo stimulation in female broiler breeders.
• Duration of fertility in ad-libitum-fed restricted female broiler breeders.
• The influence of age at photo stimulation and rate of day length increase during photo stimulation in broiler breeders: Effects on reproductive organ morphology and age at sexual maturity.
• The interaction of light intensity and photo schedule in photo stimulating broiler breeder pullets.
• Sexual maturation in male and female line heavy turkey hens.
• The effects of lighting program on reproductive performance of female commercial turkey breeders.
• Effects of Estradiol-17B on lipid incorporation into the ovary, abdominal fatpad, and liver in feed restricted or ad-libitum-fed broiler breeder hens.
• Effects of growth curve between photostimulation and sexual maturity on ovarian morphology and on lipid incorporation into the ovary, abdominal fatpad and liver in broiler breeder hens.

Diversified Egg Uses (J.S. Sim)

• Antigen-specific antibody production in laying hens, and development of IgY-technologies for animal and human food uses.
• Designing egg oil - modifying yolk fatty acids and producing egg oil for food uses.
• Infant nutrition study - laying hens/fertilized eggs/developing embryos/hatching chicks as study model for mammalian maternal/fetal/neonatal/infant nutrition.
• Extraction and utilization of biopolymers from poultry-processing by-products.

Freshness of Meat Products (J.S. Sim)

• Control of lipid oxidation and improving meat stability (shelf life).
• Development of anti-Salmonella specific IgY loaded hatching eggs and biological modulation of Salmonella shedding to produce Salmonella-free poultry products.
• Development of anti-E. coli 0.157:H7 specific polyclonal IgY and neutralizing pathogens.

Value-added Processed Poultry Quality (E. LeBlanc and L. McMullen)

• Microbiological, sensory, physical and biochemical quality of modified atmosphere packaged raw and cooked poultry with and without sodium lactate.
• Biopreservation of modified atmosphere packaged cooked turkey rolls.
• Prevention of warmed over flavour in modified atmosphere packaged cooked poultry.
• Use of capillary electrophoresis to monitor warmed over flavour in cooked poultry.
• Use of capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection to monitor biogenic amine content in poultry feed.
• spent poultry utilization for production of value-added novel food products and ingredients.
• Safety and quality of value-added poultry products.

• Hosted the very successful Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting at the University of Alberta, attended by over 1400 delegates (August 12-18, 1995)
• Contributed to the organization and production of the Poultry Research Centre Newsletter two to three times a year and distributed it to 1300 people with interests in the activities of the PRC.
• Hosted the May 1995, CBHEMA meeting at the Edmonton Research Unit with presentations of broiler breeder research by faculty and graduate students.
• Participation in poultry industry meetings at the regional, provincial, national and international levels, presenting research reviews and receiving feedback and suggestions for future work.
• Contribution to commodity group newsletters and fact sheets.

Academic Staff

• F. E. Robinson awarded the Purina Mills Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Poultry Science Association.
• J.S. Sim reappointed an Honorary Scientist by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, 1995-1998.

• V.L. Melnychuk awarded the Don Potter Memorial Scholarship (Alberta Turkey Growers Marketing Board).
• H.H. Oosterhoff and P.R. Goerzen awarded Alberta Egg Producers Graduate Scholarships.
• R. Renema awarded a Pacific Egg and Poultry Association Scholarship.
• P.R. Goerzen and L.D. Muller awarded NSERC Graduate Industrial Scholarships (Natural Sciences and engineering Research Council).
• P.R. Goerzen and L.D. Muller awarded Walter Johns Scholarships (University of Alberta).

• D. Hill and S. Saro awarded Alberta Egg Producers Undergraduate Prizes.
• S. Saro awarded the Alberta Poultry Industry Council Award.