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.
Our Research Grant Program actively supports 30 research projects in a variety of fields at universities across Canada. Each research project is linked to one or more of Egg Farmers of Canada research priorities that help inform continuous on-farm improvements and enhancements to our policies and programs.
The International Egg Foundation is working hand-in-hand with Ebenezer Agricultural Training Centre staff to establish a practical training course in egg production. The program aims to share the knowledge and expertise necessary to manage commercial egg operations and uses training to build an understanding of best practices in animal care and food safety.
Childhood malnutrition has a lasting effect on growth and development. According to the World Health Organization, millions of children suffer from stunting and wasting. Recent research found that adding eggs to the diets of 6 to 8 year old children in undernourished areas of Uganda significantly increased their height and weight.