ABOVE: Staff will care for the turkey poults during their mandatory 13-week stay in quarantine. Australia’s state-of-the-art avian quarantine facility is filling the role of midwife to nearly 3000 turkey poults in Victoria. The team at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s Post Entry Quarantine facility in Mickleham together with industry experts have nurtured…
ABOVE: A new video produced by Humans of Agriculture showcases what higher animal welfare standards look like on Australian free range and conventional chicken farms under the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme. HUMANS of Agriculture has produced a new video featuring some Australian Chicken Meat Federation members, which showcases what higher animal welfare standards look like…
ABOVE: Newly hatched chicks may carry disease-causing bacteria but biosecurity and hygiene practices can prevent the spread of infection. Photo: NDSU GOOD biosecurity and hygiene practices can reduce the risk of contamination and illness from hatchlings. When preparing for hatching season, backyard poultry owners and educators may also plan to take precautions against the spread…
ABOVE: Delegates attending the VIV Asia 2023 conference in Bangkok. RECENTLY, I had the pleasure of attending the VIV Asia 2023 conference held in Bangkok from March 8-10. An international trade show for animal husbandry and processing industries, it is one of the largest events of its kind in the world. The conference drew in…
ABOVE: Gut health is still a very hot topic in today’s layer production. Laying persistence, egg shell quality and gut health are still very hot topics in today’s layer production, where the cycle is getting longer and pressure on poultry producers to reduce the use of antibiotics is growing. But what does a healthy gut…
ABOVE: AgriFutures announced a new five-year research, development and extension plan for Australia’s $6.6 billion dollar chicken meat industry. AgriFutures Australia has announced a new five-year research, development and extension plan for Australia’s $6.6 billion dollar chicken meat industry. The AgriFutures Chicken Meat Program RDE Plan 2022-2027 sets the agenda to grow the long-term prosperity…
ABOVE: Being cold smoked, the eggs remain raw, but the process eliminates bacteria. A good wedding anniversary present can be hard to find, but when Julie Kos bought her husband Paul a smoker as a gift, they had no idea how life-changing it would be. They started smoking everything and, as egg farmers, they gave…
ABOVE: Happy hens. Hatched as hens, these Hyline Brown free range hens at Fremantle Egg Company enjoy the good life, laying for about 70 weeks before being turned over. Males hatched at the same time would have been killed. Having advocated in my past two columns for the lives of roosters and cockerels, this month…
ABOVE: New research may help egg farmers further reduce their environmental impact through the diet formulations they feed their hens. With one of the lowest carbon footprints of any animal protein, Australian consumers can already feel good about buying and eating eggs. New research into the nutritional strategies of layer hens conducted by the University…
ABOVE: To reach Australia’s net zero goal by 2050, overcoming initial constraints in the growing alternative energy market will be key to change. The estimated annual cost of energy is already approximately $5.85 billion for the Australian agricultural sector, but this is set to soar as electricity prices double by 2024, according to a recent…