We do research and educate with a focus on nutrition, housing and management of meat-type chickens and laying hens. We strive to find new approaches that combines improved animal welfare, high competitiveness and low environmental cost. Our research comprises both conventional and alternative production systems (e.g., organic production) for layers and meat-type chickens.
Research area contact person: Helena Wall
This project aim to investigate the effect of specific environmental inputs during rearing, which has seen to promote animal welfare long-term for laying hens in experimental farms, on farms with parental animals within the chicken meat sector. Access to more or to a variation within biologically relevant resources during the development has seen to promote laying hens’ behavioural and physiological adaptability long term.
Today biochar is mainly used as a soil amendment. In animal husbandry, biochar can be used as an additive in bedding to bind water and nutrients and thereby reduce emission of ammonia from the bedding. Another option is to add the biochar (already) to the animals' feed. In this project, we aim to provide scientific evidence that will help Swedish chicken farmers to determine whether it is justified to add biochar to chicken feed.
The aim of the suggested project is to evaluate if ammonia
volatilization from the litter in laying hen facilities can be lowered by adjusted levels of crude protein, amino acids and insoluble fibre in the feed.
This project aims to investigate the potential use of live soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) as a novel environmental enrichment to promote food foraging behaviours and reduce feather pecking in laying hens. A secondary aim, is to utilize fly larvae, grown in Sweden using local organic blue mussel by-products, as an alternative food source for poultry to reduce reliance on imported proteins (such as soy).
This project aims to develop a virtual system of maternal care using video and audio signals to improve the naturalness of rearing conditions of newly hatched chicks and promote natural behaviours, behavioural synchronisation, reducing fearfulness and feather pecking in laying hens.
Including bioactive substances from brown algae or fungi biomass in chickens first feed will be evaluated in this project. The broiler chickens will either get access to feed and water already from time of hatch, or have to wait for a period corresponding to the normal situation in commercial settings.
With an increasing world population and food consumption, poultry is predicted to be the most common meat source globally in 2020. However, to be able to meet the increasing demand in a sustainable way all parts of poultry meat production needs to be optimized. A way to accomplish this could be by the use of feed additives with bioactive substances. A bioactive substance promotes health and gives additional value to the diet. Brown algae has a higher content of bioactive substances than many other algae and plants and are therefore of interest to evaluate as feed additive to broiler chickens.
The aim of this project is to study effects of different hatching concepts and feed additives on the day old chicks’ quality, gut microflora and immune system.
This project will identify genomic regions affection bone strength in egglaying chicken (layers) and assess their potential welfare benefits in different environments.
