University of Bristol unveils additional poultry research capability

Identifying commercial and practical solutions to the challenges of today’s poultry industry is the aim of the latest research facility at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

Photo courtesy of the University of Bristol
Photo courtesy of the University of Bristol

Identifying commercial and practical solutions to the challenges of today’s poultry industry is the aim of the latest research facility at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

At a cost of GBP1 million (US$1.4 million), the new poultry research facility at the University of Bristol Veterinary School was officially opened in January, promising the poultry industry focused research into the health, welfare, behavior and productivity of broilers and laying hens.

Complementing the university’s existing research capabilities for cattle, sheep, pigs and aquaculture, key to its future research in poultry will be the new fully-monitored and controlled hatchery.

At the official launch, Prof. Richard Hammond, head of the university's veterinary school, said the research facility will contribute to the improvement of bird welfare and the sustainability of poultry production.

“The unit will help extend our collaborative work on housing design and welfare assessment to develop innovative ways to optimize egg production and business performance through improved health, welfare and nutrition as well as bridging the gap between commercial systems and small-scale experimental units, combining industry standard housing with poultry monitoring, at a flock and an individual level,” added the university’s poultry specialist research lead, Dr. Andy Butterworth.

Previous work by the University led to the launch in 2013 of a web site to help ensure laying hens remain well-feathered throughout their lives. It focuses on management strategies to prevent feather-pecking.

The new facility forms part of the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL), a UK-wide consortium of 12 research institutes, funded by Innovate UK to develop new industry-needed solutions as well as commercial trial farms for real world results.

Another CIEL member, the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, has been awarded a share of a US$1.4-million grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture in the U.S. to improve the health and productivity of laying hens by reducing the incidence of bone fractures.

The University of Bristol will also be involved in this project, exploring the impacts of housing design on keel bone fractures of laying hens, under the lead of the University of California, Davis.

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