Visitors to Newest Poultry Farms Inc. don protective footwear on Open Farm Day.

Opinion: How open is Open Farm Day?

Livestock industry is risking its social licence

In many ways, Open Farm Day is an oxymoron. As much as it tries to help the public understand modern farming, it often reinforces just how inaccessible it has become. Lured by the promise of a chicken farmer’s barn and broilers, I headed out early on Sept. 20 to see the only poultry operation on

A baby chick, genetically modified to block transmission of bird flu, glows under an ultraviolet light, next to a chick that has not been modified, in this undated handout photo.

Glow-in-the-dark GMO chickens shed light on bird flu fight

But these birds are a long ways from becoming commercialized

In the realm of avian research, the chicks with the glow-in-the-dark beaks and feet might one day rock the poultry world. British scientists say they have genetically modified chickens in a bid to block bird flu and that early experiments show promise for fighting off the disease that has devastated the U.S. poultry and egg


eggs on flat cartons

Avian influenza in U.S. poultry puts the squeeze on Canadian egg imports

Shipments are costing more and taking longer to get here

A major avian influenza outbreak in the United States is forcing Canada’s layer industry to scramble for imported eggs and pay through the nose for them. As the AI outbreak continues south of the border, Canadian importers must look further afield for processing eggs, increasing delivery times and transportation costs. Manitoba sources most of its

chickens in a barn

Editorial: It’s time to rethink poultry production

The bird flu epidemic has wiped out 12 per cent of U.S. egg-laying capacity in a matter of weeks

The numbers surrounding the bird flu epidemic change each day. But they are staggering. Early this week, the USDA was reporting 197 confirmed outbreaks among poultry flocks with losses of 44.6 million fowl, many of them egg-laying hens. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) predicts the number of birds affected will climb to 50


chickens in a barn

Mozart and mood lighting, a healthy prescription for chickens?

Combined with probiotics, it all adds up to a reduced need for drugs

In barns filled with classical music and lighting that changes to match the hues outside, rows of chickens are fed a diet rich in probiotics, a regimen designed to remove the need for the drugs and chemicals that have tainted the global food chain. As food giants face growing pressure to offer healthier produce, Southeast

geese near an urban pond

Hatchery amps up bird deterrence in face of avian influenza

Consumer faith in poultry products appears to be holding in spite of a growing 
number of avian influenza cases on farms in Ontario and the U.S.

Manitoba poultry producers and processors have yet to be stung by the avian influenza sweeping farms south of the border, but that doesn’t mean it’s business as usual. Enhanced biosecurity brings a host of changes and logistical challenges. “We’ve increased our sanitation measures, we have foot baths now at all the entrances to our production


VIDEO: The FarmQuest Project: Diakaridia Fomba

VIDEO: The FarmQuest Project: Diakaridia Fomba

Breeding and raising poultry in the hamlet of Dien Fomba

Diakaridia Fomba lives in the Malian hamlet of Dien Fomba. He left home on his 20s for the city but now he’s come home to stay. While relatively successful at various jobs, he eventually realized his future was back on home developing his farming skills. “I’m a born farmer,” says Fomba. “Thankfully, it allows me to help

The rooster’s wake-up call

Anyone who has lived on or near a farmyard with chickens is well aware of the rooster’s ability to trumpet the arrival of morning long before the sun peeks over the horizon. But roosters have been delivering a wake-up call of a different sort lately — sounding the alarm over the risks inherent with the


Genetic tweaking caused a fertility problem in Ross roosters, which sire 25 per cent of the commercial broiler flock in theU.S.and virtually all of Canada’s.

Infertile roosters increase shortage in U.S. chicken supplies

Canadian hatcheries depend on U.S. imports but have been unaffected to date

A genetic problem in a key breed of U.S. rooster could affect Canada’s broiler chicken industry, which imports nearly all its parent breeding stock from south of the border. The U.S. is already experiencing a shortage of breeder birds and the genetic issue could make supplies even tighter, American officials say. If that happens, it

A group of Rhode Island Red chicks at the University of Alberta’s Poultry 
Research Centre, which has housed collections of heritage chickens for 
more than 20 years.

Community comes together to save rare chickens

Poultry centre now providing community with farm fresh eggs and heritage chicks

An outpouring of community support has saved a rare — and potentially priceless — collection of heritage chickens. “It’s amazing how much the general population wants to support the chickens and how much they understand about genetic preservation,” said Agnes Kulinski, business director of the University of Alberta’s Poultry Research Centre. Two years ago, when