Hens in a cage

Pullet farmers seek answers after marketing agency denied

The government turned their application down, but hasn’t given a reason

Canadian pullet producers are trying to find out why their application for a national marketing board was denied by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “We are awaiting the official written response from the minister’s office in that regard and in the meantime we are considering our options,” said Andy DeWeerd, chairman of the Pullet Growers of

Rondeel system for layer hen housing

Hen haven maximizes productivity too

Visitors to the the Rondeel Berkoeve in Wintelre don’t get past the front entrance without first saying hello to thousands of curious layer hens pushing up against the outside fence for a closer look at the newcomers. A scenic path leads to the front entrance which features informational posters on the facility and a place


photo: thinkstock

Alberta researchers use eggshells to build better battery

Your morning omelette may hold the solution to your quick-dying smartphone battery. University of Alberta researchers David Mitlin and post-doctoral fellow Zhi Li have developed a fast-charging supercapacitor using eggshell membranes — a plentiful egg industry byproduct. “We sell the liquid egg whites and the yoke to food processors, and we have no use for

If you prick the round end of an egg it will help to prevent cracking while boiling. photo: thinkstock

Producer price per dozen dips as feed costs shrink

Falling grain prices have cut feed costs and so egg farmers will get a nickel less — but none of the big grocery chains will say if the savings will be passed on

For the first time in years, the price Manitoba egg farmers receive for their products is going down. Following a year of bumper grain crops, feed costs have declined — resulting in a five-cent reduction in the producer price of eggs in Manitoba. “The cost of production is updated as input costs change, it could


Putting the clock in the cock-a-doodle-do

Roosters really do know what time of day it is

Of course, roosters crow with the dawn. But are they simply reacting to the environment, or do they really know what time of day it is? Researchers reporting in a recent Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have evidence that puts the clock in “cock-a-doodle-doo.” “‘Cock-a-doodle-doo’ symbolizes the break of dawn in many countries,” says

Heritage chickens help raise funds with eggs

The University of Alberta has gotten into the egg business in a bid to maintain its flocks of heritage chickens. “We’ll raise the chicken for you and you get eggs every two weeks,” said Agnes Kulinski, business director of the university’s Poultry Research Centre. The centre, which has about 1,500 heritage-breed chickens, has an “adopt-a-heritage-hen”



Curbing farm use of antibiotics heats up again

Ontario Medical Association says incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is on the rise and must be stopped

The Ontario Medical Association is calling on government to impose sweeping restrictions on non-essential farm and other uses of medicines before bacterial resistance to life-saving antibiotics threatens human health. Growing resistance to antibiotics endangers “one of the most fundamental and life-saving tools in medicine,” the association warns in a report entitled ‘When Antibiotics Stop Working.’



No deal on national chicken allocation, deadline to revoke letter passes

Alberta Chicken Producers, Chicken Farmers of Canada representatives say they haven’t given up on getting an agreement

The Feb. 22 deadline has come and gone for Alberta Chicken Producers to withdraw its letter of intent to pull out of the national chicken supply management system without a new agreement being struck. “We came as close as we could,” Chicken Farmers of Canada David Janzen said at the Alberta Chicken Producers’ annual general