Poultry Science
The science of producing poultry meat and eggs.Poultry Science: Extension & Outreach
Educational Program Activities
The Extension Poultry Science faculty of the Department of Poultry Science are actively involved in providing educational opportunities for poultry producers in Georgia. These programs are conducted independently and/or with the cooperation of the Georgia Poultry Federation, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, Georgia Egg Association, allied industries and the County Cooperative Extension Agents. The following is a summarization of the major educational programs offered in 2002:
- The Georgia Poultry Conference
- Deep South Poultry Conference
- Nutrient Management Training
- Georgia International Poultry Short Course
- Feed Mill Managers Seminar
- Georgia Broiler Health and Management Workshop
- Poultry Ventilation School
- Hatchery/Breeder Management Workshop
- USA Poultry Course
The Georgia Poultry Conference
This conference is held annually during the last week in September and is conducted cooperatively with the Georgia Poultry Federation. The conference is located in Athens, Georgia and attracts over 350 participants from across Georgia as well as other poultry producing states. The program, which is developed by Extension Poultry Science faculty and industry representatives, provides specific and timely information relevant to poultry and egg production. The conference is divided into sessions related to major components of the poultry industry (i.e. General, Broiler, Hatchery and Breeders, Commercial Eggs, and Processing). This program has been very successful both in attendance and in participant evaluations. Evaluations have consistently exceeded 4.0 on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being excellent. This year's conference is scheduled for September 24-25, 2002 at the Classic Center, Athens, GA. (Contact: Dan Cunningham)
Deep South Poultry Conference
This conference is conducted annually (May of each year) in cooperation with the Georgia Poultry Federation and is held in Tifton, Georgia. The conference is intended to provide educational programming for South Georgia poultry producers with emphasis on broiler and breeder management. This conference annually attracts some 125 participants from Georgia and Florida. This year's conference was held on May 23 with evaluations exceeding 4.0 on the 1-5 scale (Contact: Bill Dozier).
Nutrient Management Training
Educational programs for personnel and growers of poultry companies in Georgia were conducted during this past year as a continuation of the programs initiated in 1999-2000 providing poultry producers with the information to develop nutrient management plans. Programs are designed to the needs of individual companies and are presented by members of the Extension Poultry Science Faculty, the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and County Extension Agents. Training is provided upon request. To date more than 60 training sessions involving over 3800 individuals have been conducted. In addition, certification training required by EPD for poultry producers with liquid manure systems was conducted in Gainesville and Blackshear, Georgia (Contact: Local County Agents, Dan Cunningham, or Casey Ritz).
Georgia International Poultry Short Course
This course is held on the UGA campus the week following the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association International Poultry Exposition. This training was developed to accommodate the numerous requests for poultry faculty to conduct international training. The program is provided by the Department of Poultry Science with support from the USPEA. This year's short course was held January 19-23 at the Georgia Center with more than 80 attendees (Contact: Scott Russell or Nick Dale).
Feed Mill Managers Seminar
This activity was developed in 2001 to provide educational programing for feed mill managers and operators. The first program was held in September of 2001 in Tifton, Georgia and attracted feed mill managers and operators ( 40 participants) from across Georgia as well as surrounding states. This program resulted in very positive evaluations and a second seminar is scheduled for September 18, 2002, in Tifton, Georgia (Contact: Bill Dozier).
Georgia Broiler Health and Management Workshop
This workshop was newly developed and conducted in 2002. The workshop focuses on providing hands-on activities and information relevant for Field Service Representatives of the broiler industry. Because of the workshop format that provides laboratory exercises and student participation, classes are limited to manageable numbers. The first workshop was held April 17, 2002 in Athens, Georgia with 17 participants. Evaluations of the workshop were very positive and future workshops will be planned on an annual or semi-annual basis as needed (Contact: Casey Ritz).
Poultry Ventilation School
The Poultry Ventilation School is conducted jointly with the Department of Agricultural Engineering and emphasizes new technology and current winter and summer ventilation procedures for poultry house design and operation. Programs are generally held in the fall and spring to update flock supervisors on appropriate ventilation procedures for the season. The most recent school was held May 20-22, 2002 in Athens, Georgia with some 80 participants. These schools consistently produce very high ratings by participants. The next school is scheduled for early December (Contact: Mike Czarick, Brian Fairchild or Bill Dozier).
Hatchery/Breeder Management Workshop
This workshop provides educational programing for hatchery and breeder flock managers and supervisors. The workshop is held on a periodic basis as needed in Athens, Georgia. Class sizes are generally limited to less than 40 individuals because of the workshop format. The most recent workshop was held May 28-29, 2002 at the UGA Poultry Research Farm. This program has consistently generated strong evaluations by participants with this year's program receiving excellent ratings. The next workshop is scheduled for early December (Contact: Joe Mauldin or Jeanna Wilson).
USA Poultry Course
This was a special training developed and conducted as a one time opportunity for Zinpro employees. The training was developed by Extension faculty to provide sales and marketing personnel of this company relevant information on current best management practices for poultry and egg production. The training spanned three days ( March 11-13, 2002) and covered most all aspects of poultry production (Contact: Scott Russell ).