Page 11 - National Poultry Newspaper

Canadian scholar receives 2020 Poultry Science Association’s Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award
ALLTECH continues its commitment to sup- porting the Poultry Sci- ence Association and student research with the 20th anniversary of the Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award.
making in the poultry in- dustry.”
master’s degree in 2016 with Dr Karen Schwean- Lardner at the University of Saskatchewan, where she focused on the im- pacts of infrared beak treatment on the produc- tion, behaviour and wel- fare of layer pullets and hens.
This year’s award was presented virtually to Sarah Struthers from Canada, who is currently completing her PhD in genetics and genomics at The Roslin Institute, the University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s rural col- lege.
Struthers’ winning pa- per – entitled, ‘The effect of beak tissue sloughing and post-treatment beak shape on the productivity of infrared beak-treated layer pullets and hens’ – was published in Septem- ber 2019.
After successfully de- fending her thesis in 2018, she worked as a research assistant in Dr Schwean- Lardner’s lab and con- ducted further research on the impacts of infrared beak treatment.
This award is given to a student who is the senior author of an outstanding research manuscript pub- lished in Poultry Science or the Journal of Applied Poultry Research.
Her co-authors on the paper included Dr Hen- ry Classen, Dr Susantha Gomis and Dr Karen Schwean-Lardner – all from the University of Saskatchewan.
In September 2019, Stru- thers moved to Scotland, where she is currently completing her PhD in genetics and genomics at The Roslin Institute un- der the supervision of Dr Jeff Schoenebeck and Dr Vicky Sandilands.
ALIS Sensors providing data and alerts in real time
Canadian technical manager for Alltech Dr Kayla Price said: “Inno- vation is the core of our business and we are proud to support students and the advancements they are
She received her bache- lor’s degree in animal sci- ence from the University of Saskatchewan in 2015.
Her doctoral research focuses on determining the pre-existing varia- tion in beak shape that occurs within layer hen breeding hocks, and iden- tifying beak shapes that cause the least amount of damage when hens engage in feather pecking behav- iour.
This makes it possible to identify in real time, potential welfare issues such as inadequate ac- cess to feed and water or incorrect environmental conditions.
It highlights clusters of birds which may be indicative of a poor en- vironment, triggering reduced litter quality, pododermatitis and ad- verse gut health.
Sarah Struthers is the recipient of the 2020 Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award.
For more information, visit poultryscience.org
The ALIS Cluster Sen- sor provides thermal im-
The sensors conveni- ently clip onto ALIS
www.poultrynews.com.au
National Poultry Newspaper, October 2020 – Page 11
Dr. Price presented the award to Struthers vir- tually on September 2, 2020.
Struthers was born in Yorkton Saskatchewan and grew up in Cranbrook British Columbia.
WITH increasing con- New research has aging capability, allow-
lighting systems, which eliminates retrofitting costs.
Though she was initially terrified of chickens, she began working toward her
The new ALIS Sensors will make poultry pro- duction easier, smarter and greener.
Temperature regula- tion and lighting are ma- jor variables determin- ing chick welfare.
The analytics pro- duced from these sen- sors can be accessed in real time, with data supplied through a user- friendly browser or mo- bile device dashboard.
Alltech has sponsored the Alltech Student Re- search Manuscript Award since 2000, recognising young leaders in scientific innovation for their com- mitment to publishing and sharing their work in the poultry sector.
The ALIS Greenhouse Sensor works specifically to track carbon dioxide, ammonia and humid- ity data, sending farmers alerts in real time.
Listening to your new- ly hatched chicks and being able to identify and react quickly to dis- tress calling is a pow- erful tool to maintain chick wellbeing.
Monitoring the tem- perature and light in a barn is essential for pro- ductivity and produc- tion.
Alerts are given when issues are highlighted, making for efficient problem solving.
sumer awareness about food provenance, wel- fare and the environ- ment, Stockyard In- dustries has introduced an intelligent platform for precision livestock farming.
emerged from a team of researchers in the UK showing that the emo- tional state of a chick can be measured with acoustic sensors.
ing the farmer to have full visibility of flock mobility.
This creates an aerial network of lights and sensors monitoring the critical parameters for welfare, productivity and the environment.
Monitoring the in- house environment in this way allows the early identification of any issues, which may be detrimental to bird health, welfare and pro- ductivity.
The ALIS Chirpy Sen- sor encapsulates this concept, measuring bird acoustics in commercial farms.
The ALIS Ambient Sensor effectively moni- tors both variables, en- suring optimum temper- ature and light is always maintained.
For more informa- tion, visit stockyardin dustries.com/poultry- lighting-sensors or con- tact one of the friendly Stockyard Industries sales representatives on 07 4697 3344.