USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of two funded research projects at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, in which researchers examined the impacts of cage-free layer housing. The research was made possible in part by endowing Foundation gifts from Cal-Maine Foods and Centurion Poultry and is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A brief summary of the completed project is shown below. A complete report, along with information on other Association research, may be obtained by going to USPOULTRY’s website, www.uspoultry.org. The project summary is as follows.

Project #F075: Cage-free Housing: Northern Fowl Mite Impact on Laying Hens

Project #701: Laying Hen Ectoparasites: Impact of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Kentucky Contamination in Cage-Free Housing

Dr. Darrin Karcher at Purdue University and colleagues from the USDA-ARS U.S. National Poultry Research Center recently completed two research projects. These studies examined the role and impact of northern fowl mites on laying hens in a cage-free environment and assessed horizontal transmission of S. Enteritidis and S. Kentucky infection of laying hens in indoor cage-free housing. These projects uncovered some of the challenges with cage-free laying hens and the long-term financial impacts that a company may experience.

The research summary can be found on the USPOULTRY website. Information on other Association research may also be obtained by visiting the USPOULTRY website, www.uspoultry.org.