Existing Infrastructure

Alberta Chicken Producers Poultry Technology Centre (1999)

Is a poultry slaughter/processing plant, based on air chilling of up to 300 boilers or 100 turkeys per day. It also includes the 150m2 Van Zeggelaar Lab (refrigerated lab space for meat processing and product development), a -30oC storage freezer, and a lab for product testing. It also houses the Lilydale Classroom, (80 people classroom style) and the Alberta Turkey Producers Computer Lab.

Alberta Hatching Egg Producer’s Hatchery (1999)

This federally-accredited hatchery has high quality egg storage facilities, equipment to monitor embryo metabolism, three – 5000 egg capacity incubators, two 860 egg capacity incubators and a chick processing area.

Alberta Egg Producer’s Environmental Chambers (2000)

This facility is comprised of eight rooms with excellent monitoring of ventilation, temperature, photoperiod, light intensity, feed and water intake, and air quality. These chambers are ideal for caged birds (portable layer caging) or floor-housed birds.


Broiler Breeder Research Facility

The centre has the capacity to house 288 laying hens (with provision for another 128) and 60 males. Feed is weighed for individual birds in an automated dispensing unit. A two-unit Vencomatic colony-housing system is available for use.

Battery Housing Broiler/Turkey/Layer Rearing Facility (2000)

Juvenile birds can be raised in a small group (2-10 birds) in Petersime Chick batteries or in 64 Specht broiler/pullet rearing battery housing that can be subdivided to 128 units.

Broiler/Turkey/Layer/Broiler Breeder Floor Pens

Several areas are equipped to house birds in groups of 100 to 300 birds per pen with provisions for photoperiod and temperature control.

Carcass/Egg Quality Laboratory

The poultry unit has a well-equipped carcass dissection-analysis lab with 24 pressure cookers and grinders, computer-assisted egg quality testing equipment and walk-in frozen sample storage.

Laying-Hen Housing

This facility is comprised of floor pens, conventional laying battery housing (2 birds), modern conventional battery housing and “enriched housing” with nests, dust baths, and perches, that house 18-20 hens each.

Metabolic Unit – Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Facility

Poultry researchers have access to this radiation safety-approved facility for determination of amino acid requirements and availability from feedstuffs and to a surgical suite.

Feed Mixing Facility

Batch mixers with capacities of 50 kg, 100 kg, and 300 kg are available for mixing experimental diets.

Central Laboratories

Within AFNS, well equipped labs are available for hormone assays, proximate analysis, HPLC, FPLC, GC, and biotechnological experimentation.

 

In addition to on-site laboratory facilities, the Poultry Research Centre has access to over 6000m2 of laboratory facilities including a state-of-the-art biotechnology centre in the Agriculture/Forestry Centre on the near by campus.