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The UK Poultry Research Facility,
located on the College of Agriculture's Coldstream
Farm, is a vital part of teaching, research and
extension programs in poultry science. It also
provides support for other programs in Animal
Sciences and other university departments.
The facility includes three
layer-cage rooms with a combined capacity of
2,600 laying hens and two grower-cage rooms that
hold 2,800 pullets. The cage rooms are equipped
with a unique direct-cage ventilation system
that provides a very uniform environment through
each room. The cage rooms have heating, air conditioning
and evaporative cooling to provide a high degree
of environmental control throughout the year.
The facility also has two floor-pen
rooms for maintaining chickens on litter in a
total of 100 pens. The pens sizes can be varied
and can be equipped with nests to accommodate
laying or breeding hens to meet different experimental
needs. The floor pen units can house approximately
2,400 growing chickens (broilers or pullets)
or 800 breeder hens.
The laboratory section of the
facility includes an egg storage room, equipment
for processing eggs and poultry, and feed mixing
equipment. This section also includes the incubator
room and a meeting room.
This modern building provides
excellent facilities for faculty and graduate
students to conduct research aimed at improving
poultry production. The facility also provides
opportunities for interested undergraduate students
to gain hands-on experience working with poultry. |