Browse Poultry Stories - Page 9

Oil and water may not mix, but a University of Georgia study has found feeding chickens a blend of plant-based oils in their drinking water can help prevent salmonella contamination before the meat reaches the dinner table, or even the grocery store.

Severe drought in the Midwest corn-belt is driving up poultry feed costs in Georgia. Economists and poultry industry experts predict corn costs will increase 50 percent in 2012 compared to typical years. Some economists say corn prices could double by the end of the summer.

If your family is one of the many considering raising a flock of backyard chickens, there are a few things you may want to consider before you bring the birds home to roost.

Farmers can’t control when drought, a late freeze or violent crop-wrenching storms will affect their fields, but they can be prepared when those disasters come knocking.

The widespread drought that’s made national headlines this week will probably be a boon for some Georgia corn producers, but a costly burden for the state’s poultry and beef industries.

University of Georgia animal and dairy scientist Ignacy Misztal develops software programs to help cattlemen select more productive cow couplings. His unique bovine matchmaking skills have earned him an international fan base of animal breeders and researchers.

The practices that can help us save energy in our own homes, like sealing leaks, insulating and updating cooling systems and replacing light bulbs, are also being used to make Georgia’s prolific poultry industry more efficient — one chicken house at a time.

Chickens can’t speak, but they can definitely make themselves heard. Most people who have visited a poultry farm will recall chicken vocalization – the technical term for clucking and squawking – as a memorable part of the experience.

Despite an uncomfortable mix of wet, cold and windy weather, North America’s premier farm show, the Sunbelt Ag Expo, marched on this week in Moultrie, Ga. More than 70,000 visitors perused the wears of 1,200 vendors, a North Carolina farmer was tapped as the Southeast’s top and land-grant universities brought their messages to the masses.

After just two days of developing in the egg, a chicken’s heart beats. Students discovered the beating organ firsthand after cracking open eggs to learn about embryo development in “Chickenology,” a seminar course offered by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.