Ammonia emissions from poultry manure can present risks to the respiratory health of hens, egg farmers and their staff, and can result in adverse environmental consequences. In a three-year study, researchers at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry demonstrated that dietary interventions can lower emissions and reduce the risks to hens, farmers and the surrounding environment.
In light of recent trade negotiations, critics argue that the supply management system increases the retail price of supply-managed products at the store. A 2019 study completed by researchers at Université Laval and the University of Waterloo assessed Canadian perceptions of domestic and U.S. prices for supply-managed and non supply-managed goods.
Approximately three million Canadians live with type 2 diabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are too high. Researchers at the University of British Columbia hypothesized that eggs, which contain protein and fat but little carbohydrate, would be an effective bedtime snack for lowering morning sugar levels without spiking these levels throughout the night.
Canada’s egg industry continues to grow and evolve and with that comes unique opportunities for inclusion and diversity. A 2017 study documented the history of women’s involvement in egg farming and sought to understand the underrepresentation of female egg farmers in leadership positions within our industry.
Our Research Grant Program actively supports 35 research projects in a variety of fields at universities across Canada. Each research project is linked to at least one of Egg Farmers of Canada’s research priorities. Below is an introduction to these research projects as well as their status.
The conditions in which an egg is incubated begin to shape a hen’s eventual laying production before it even hatches. For this study, researchers at Dalhousie University and at the University of Saskatchewan collaborated to explore how providing lighting during incubation positively affects the hatch, post-hatch and egg production performance of laying hens.
For laying hens, which rely on their feathers to regulate body temperature and navigate their environment, feather pecking can have wide-reaching impacts on bird welfare and productivity. Researchers at the University of Guelph sought to mitigate these risks by assessing how to maintain healthy feather cover.
Little is known about the mechanism behind dietary cholesterol absorption. To understand this further, researchers at Purdue University explored the effect of eating cooked whole eggs on blood cholesterol absorption.
While eggshells might seem to be an unconventional solution to bone grafting, researchers at the University of Ottawa recognized the potential for eggshells to be used as a regenerative material to grow new bone tissue, and developed a study to further explore this possibility.
Family farms are important contributors to stable rural economies. As researchers at the Université Laval found, family farms that operate under supply management, producing eggs, chicken and dairy, are an important part of this economic contribution. In fact, their research shows supply-managed farms punch above their weight when it comes to investing in communities, creating jobs and contributing to GDP.